Prince William brought along the Princess of Wales as he took part in the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup in Windsor today, with it being the 15th time he’s played in the competition, which has raised £15million for charity
The Princess of Wales treated Prince William to a kiss as they raised over £1million at a charity polo match.
William saddled up and was on the winning team at the DMMI Royal Charity Polo Cup 2025 at Guards Polo Club this afternoon, where he was proudly watched on by his wife. It is the 15th time that William has taken part in the competition, playing number 4 in his normal defensive position – and in that time has raised £15million for a range of charities.
The £1,050,00 raised at today’s match is being distributed across 10 charities and causes supported by both William and Kate – helping them to carry out the vital work that they do. Kate presented their cup, and other awards, before the couple walked back across the pitch, hand in hand.
The cash raised at yesterday’s match is being distributed across 10 charities and causes supported by both William and Kate – helping them to carry out the vital work that they do.
And for the first time this year, one of Kate’s patronages, Evelina London Children’s Hospital, will benefit from a donation. The hospital, which Kate visited on Monday, has ambitious plans to open a brand new principal treatment centre, which will offer specialist cancer services for children across London and the South-East.
And Gubby Ayida, the chief executive of Evelina London, told the Mirror: “It’s absolutely huge, and we are really honoured to be a beneficiary of something like this.
“The timing could not have been better as next year we are looking forward to opening our new principal treatment centre, which is specialist cancer services for children. So at the moment, we are looking at fundraising for this.
“For children with cancer, this is not just a one-off treatment, like coming in to have your appendix out. It can be a very stressful time for the children. They get very sick. It affects whole families, because they’re coming from far and wide.
“What we are looking at is equipment that goes above and beyond and support for the families, and children-friendly facilities. If children are going to be here for weeks and sometimes months, that’s going to be home, so the Evelina Children’s Charity is actively fund-raising for that.
“The princess as our patron is a huge supporter of the Evelina, and also very supportive of what she can do to help bring a children’s cancer service to the Evelina.”
While on a visit to Evelina on Monday, Kate had the opportunity to chat with the medical team working on creating the cancer specialist centre that is hoped to open in 20230 and met parents, also providing input.
And the Evelina chief added: “I think her being a mother and very committed to family life, she has such empathy with the children. You only have to see her with them to understand how she absolutely relates with them, she is wonderful with them.
“The NHS at the moment can be a tough place, so for staff as well, she is like a ray of sunshine when she comes in. I don’t think we could have asked for a patron who is as supportive of children, of family and for her it’s not just about the medical treatments and surgery – it’s also about the holistic side, which is something she really cares about.
“That’s what we are trying to fund-raise for, thinking about how we bring all of the care beyond the technical and specialist care to these children, so that Evelina doesn’t feel like a hospital – even though it is.”
Meanwhile, a cause close to the heart of William that is also benefiting this year is the homelessness charity, The Passage. The prince was first taken to The Passage at just 11 years old and has now made tackling homelessness one of the cornerstones of his work by spearheading the Homewards campaign to make homelessness “rare, brief and unrepeated”.
Mick Clarke, CEO at The Passage, said: “Especially in this cost of living crisis, it is great to know that we have this money coming in that will be used to help prevent and end homelessness.
“But it is also about raising awareness along with the nine other charities – and we don’t often go to polo events, so it’s also about raising awareness with a new audience we don’t usually reach.”
Mr Clarke told the Mirror that the Prince of Wales often makes under the radar visits to The Passage, often with no cameras and loves getting stuck in.
He revealed: “There’s nothing he loves more than putting the marigolds on and doing the washing up and helping out – I think that’s what he loves the most.”
While Dr Sue Barnes, the chief executive of the Wales Air Ambulance, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary and is also receiving a donation, added: “We are amazingly grateful. What we do is expensive, and our average mission cost is about £3,500 so we need to raise over £30million a year just to keep going. And now we are seeing costs going up and fuel prices increasing.
“These kinds of events not only bring substantial amounts of money to the charity but they’re also a way of spreading a message about us and reaching people we wouldn’t normally reach.
“Supporting us is a real passion for him, and with him previously being an air ambulance pilot, he’s part of the family. He really understands the job. Whenever he is passing through one of our bases, he will always stick his head in the crew rooms, and say hi to the crew and make sure they’re OK. It really means a lot to people.”
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