Word on the street says Prince Harry got torn a new one recently when he tried charging a massive $70,000 appearance fee to attend a polo event by none other than the head of the prestigious European Polo Championship himself.
Now, we all know polo has long been one of Harry's passions, with him playing for charity matches for years. So when organizers extended an invite for him to attend their grand opener, they naturally assumed he'd be honored to support the sport pro bono as a celebrity patron. But sources say invitations went out with Harry's people shockingly responding that he expected a $70,000 payment simply for showing up and rubbing shoulders with VIP spectators for a couple of hours. Talk about a prince expecting to cash in on his royal title, am I right?
Anywho, that's when the fireworks erupted. Apparently furious at the absurd request, European Polo Championship Chief Diego Sodano tore into Harry like a snow leopard during a very heated phone call, demanding to know if he was off his rocker for believing his presence alone merited such an exorbitant fee. Now, I can't confirm exactly what was said in the heat of the moment, but witnesses claim Diego tore the invitation to literal pieces while passionately reminding Harry that, unlike Hollywood, being a royal meant using one's platform to uplift charitable causes, not line their own pockets. He also gave a little lecture about giving back to the sport that had provided so many memories for Harry without expectation of payment. In not so many polite words, Diego informed Harry his services, both on and off the field, would be better spent elsewhere if money was the priority versus goodwill. Ouch.
Now, friends, I can only imagine the steam shooting out of both men's ears during that blistering takedown across the pond. Sources say a red-faced Harry sheepishly ended the call while Diego's staff celebrated their boss drawing a hard line against Sussex entitlement and opportunism. Of course, Harry's advisers spun it as a scheduling conflict preventing attendance, but no one believes that bogus excuse after such a monumental public shaming from a figure revered in polo circles. So in the end, it seems our formerly fun-loving prince got a harsh lesson that his royal brand doesn't translate into a blank check everywhere he goes. With global fame must also come responsibility, something Harry is still adjusting to post-Megxit, it seems.
So, in summary, it looks like Harry learned the hard way that European polo bigwigs have no time for money-grubbing freeloaders, royal or not. Gotta love Diego for putting our wayward prince firmly back in his place. They're obviously still trying to do damage control as news spreads. The championship chairman called me a short while ago to apologize profusely for any misunderstanding between us, though I think they were just as stunned by Harry's cash demand. Moving forward, they've made it clear no royal family members or sponsors will be subjected to any hosting fees. This event is to promote the sport, not personal profiteering. So in that sense, hopefully, a valuable lesson has been learned.
That said, tearing up the form was still an overreaction on my part and not the professional way to handle such a situation, so I may owe an apology to Harry's team too when things calm down. Either way, it's sadly put a damper on an otherwise magnificent finale. All we can do now is wait and see how things unfold.
