I have written to Buckingham Palace to express our great sadness on the death of our Patron, His Royal Highness, Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh and to request that our deepest sympathy is conveyed to Her Majesty The Queen and other members of The Royal Family.
Prince Philip’s association with the HPA was hugely significant for polo since he assisted in the restarting of polo in 1951 and accepted the appointment of Patron of the HPA in 1952. In addition, he was also a fine player reaching a handicap of 5 goals and achieving widespread success in a range of tournaments. He won the Gold Cup twice and many other important tournaments at Cowdray and Guards Polo Club which he founded in 1955. Along with the late Lord Cowdray, he was instrumental in the successful revival of polo post the Second World War, not just in this country but also overseas.
The HPA has been immensely privileged to have Prince Philip as our Patron and as a player. The recent and extensive media coverage of his wonderful achievements highlighted just how lucky the HPA has been that Prince Philip gave polo so much of his time over nearly 70 years.
Yours sincerely,
David Woodd
Chief Executive
