Sorry for the fairly sustained absence.
I’ve been transatlantic for the Royal Salute Sentebale Polo Cup, flinging mallets around ponies and my hair in one direction – The Prince.
A Royal Sa…lut.
{official disclaimer} This is not a fairytale.
Although… if pitching up in tropical paradise, playing dress-up with a fairy godmother, losing my crystal goblet of whisky sipper somewhere on a presidential yacht and meeting a prince isn’t close enough… IDK what is.
In bed at 37,000 feet
This was my Royal start.
Snuggled up in my Virgin Atlantic Upper Class pod, obligatory smug-flat-bed-selfie before a marathon snooze. Typically Virgin, I landed into Miami airport to be met by a Men In Black style chauffeur and arrived at the hotel feeling like a rockstar.
Palm beach…
So it turns out Palm Beach is the best possible cure
for jet-lag.
The night before was my chance to try Royal Salute first hand; I got to meet a couple of the Royal Salute crew for dinner, then I decided to taste some Royal Salute as it should be sipped – neat and no ice. Needless to say I woke up craving more than a green juice and sea air.
By midday and a mighty Four Seasons lunch with His Grace Torquhil Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll (Torquhil to me) I was primed and ready for the evening and with a little time to explore my new lair and fully exploit the Brazilian Court hotel facilities.
The Brazilian Court has that old-school luxury charm thing going on. Service discrete, wine list lengthy, guests prop toting Birkins and plenty of bell boys to open the doors.
…about the evening on Peanut Island w/ Royal Salute.
Royal Salute made it clear from the off-set, that luxury brand by name… was luxury all the way. Our Men In Black style chauffeurs delivered a select and super lucky 50 guests (I counted) to the dock where we boarded a boat.
President JFK’s former presidential yacht and our taxi to Peanut Island – The Honey Fitz.
History lesson: Peanut Island is the home of JFK’s secret bunker – it was a panic base he had built after his election, we had the tour but all I kept thinking about was how similar it looked to the dorm in Private Benjamin. Like seriously uncanny.
My biggest regret of the whole trip is not capturing more pics from the night. The whisking away on The Honey Fitz, the incredible Royal Salute whisky cocktails hand-crafted by the Honey Fitz bartender, my companion for supper the extraordinary, creative director of Royal Salute Vadim Grigorian (who basically blew me away with his banter and deep thinking even in the limo back to the hotel at silly o’clock). If only I’d captured more of the most *instagrammable 6 courses I hoovered that night. If only…
*had it been daylight, had I been less consumed with Royal Salute, yadda yada yadda.
The morning after the night before
I bounced out of bed fresh as a daisy ready to seize the day and go riding from my slumber I was escorted to Grand Champions Polo where I learned how to play POLO lollopped around the field waving a mallet before mounting a horse who wouldn’t budge.
Worth every coffee fuelled minute. Like when Malcolm Borwick, Nacho Figueras, Jodie Kidd and the Duke of Argyll give you a polo lesson YOU SHOW UP. If I do one thing this year it’s to take pony riding lessons because I loved it.
What’s it all about?
When Royal Salute invited me on this trip it was because of something special. Not me sadly.
They’re sponsors of an annual polo match held by Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale. It’s a good fit as Royal Salute was a whisky created especially for the Queen’s coronation – I had Malcolm give me a history lesson on the blends and varieties but we punctuated it with so many toasts and great speeches I forgot to take notes so I wiki’d.
History lesson: The 21 gun salute is a customary gun salute performed by the firing of cannons or artillery as a military honor. Royal Salute whisky is aged for a minimum of 21 years.
Sentebale is a charity founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho. It helps the most vulnerable children in Lesotho – the victims of extreme poverty and Lesotho’s HIV/AIDS epidemic – to get the support they need to lead healthy and productive lives .
The charity polo match takes place once a year, always in a different country and supported by Prince Harry’s and Royal Salute’s patronage. Malcolm, Nacho and guest of honour His Grace Torquhil Campbell, the 13th Duke of Argyll (my new mate) were ambassadors for the trip.
The Polo Match
After the game, we headed to dinner.
And to another incredible evening peppered with awesome food, tasty wine, inspiring speeches and of course Royal Salute.
Prince Harry’s speech had rapturous applause and kind of stole the night. I loved what Sophie Gallois of Chivas Brothers had to announce. Her words really resonated with me and brought to light the importance of the Royal Salute and Sentebale partnership. Some of her key notes I’ve quoted at the bottom.
L x
silk blue playsuit | SEE BY CHLOÉ
white pumps | KEDS
gold necklaces | JANE KOENIG
white jeans | TOPSHOP
raffia bag | HEIDI KLEIN
sunglasses | TAYLOR MORRIS
linen knit | WAREHOUSE
red dress | REALISATION PAR
Special thanks to Royal Salute, Sentebale, Twenty Nine London, The Brazilian Court, Valiante Polo Farm and Virgin Atlantic for giving me the trip of a lifetime.
Sophie Gallois Global Marketing Director of Chivas Brothers “Royal Salute has been supporting Sentebale since 2011 and we are extremely proud of the annual polo cup and the money it has raised to date. This year we are delighted to announce additional support for the Sentebale Care Giver Initiative in Lesotho which gives vital help to the parents and grandparents of children living with HIV.
The Sentebale Care Giver Initiative offers support, education and advice to grandparents or parents with children suffering from HIV, enabling them to support the youth and combat the myths and stigma associated with HIV. This initiative provides essential life skills for carers to hopefully pass down to the next generation and to ensure the future of Lesotho for years to come”