As most of you know, I spent my summer (July and August) on a summer sabbatical in London. It was a looongtime dream come true to do this and I can’t believe how amazingly things came together. From renting an apartment in the most incredible neighborhood of Mayfair, to the never ending sunny days in London, I really felt like I was on cloud 9 for two months straight.
So when St. Regis approached me mid-July about attending this year’s Sentebale Polo Cup, I really didn’t think the summer could get any better! For those of you who don’t know, Sentebale is the charity organization founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex dedicated to raising funds for young children and youth affected by HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. This year the festivities were taking place in the Duke’s hometown and I could not wait to participate!
St. Regis kicked off the celebrations with a gorgeous meet and greet breakfast at The Alfred Tennyson, hosted by Global Brand Leader (and one of my personal heroes) Lisa Holladay. From there we changed our footwear from heels to flats because it was time for the most epic picnic I’ve ever attended in Hyde Park, hosted by St. Regis Connoisseur Nacho Figueras. Both Nacho and his stunning wife Delfina arrived on horses and really took our breath away. Both of them were so incredibly humble and sweet.
I got to catch up with one of my favorite people, Laura Troy (pictured with me above) and laugh over an exquisitely delicious plethora of cheeses, charcuterie, quiches, fresh fruit and summertime perfect rosé. The table scape was so striking. Just look at all those incredible colors complementing each other below!!
That night, we participated in the traditional St. Regis Midnight Supper at Loulou’s (a very exclusive private members club in Mayfair) which was just down the street from my rented summer flat. Again, I could not get over how amazingly things aligned for me during my time in London. The Midnight Supper tradition was started by Caroline Astor, wife of John Jacob Astor IV, as a way to bring together artists, influencers, and visionaries. That ritual continues to live on with St. Regis today and I feel so honoured that I was invited to attend.
After a night of fun conversations and dancing, we set-off to the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club the next morning. I was elated for many reasons. This was going to be my first polo match I’ve ever attended but on-top of that, Prince Harry would be playing and attending with the ever lovely Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex.
I had a very funny moment walking the red carpet when I first arrived and my dear Laura Troy yelled out my name “Meagan” with glee. All of the photographers flooded the pit thinking that it was in fact Meghan Markle who was heading their way but instead they got…well…me haha! I couldn’t help but let out a big ol’ laugh as you can see below.
Eventually we all settled into our seats for the charity luncheon and auction. I had the incredible fortune of being seated next to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s table (gahahaha!! still not over it) but sadly NO PICS ALLOWED. You can imagine how much I was bursting there with my phone, so wanting to share this moment with you all. But alas I shared it with my lovely seat companions.
After the lunch was finished, we all headed out to the field to watch Nacho and Harry lead the Sentebale Polo team to the win!! They raised over a million pounds for the charity that day and my heart bursts having been apart of that in some small way.
At the end of the match we got to witness that swoon worthy kiss shared between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and then I was whisked off quickly to the field to film my part for this video below. Watch to discover 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Polo and to see me in my post polo glow. I forgot to mention that it was one of the hottest days on record that afternoon and we were without air-con haha. But it all made for a fabulous and funny boatload of memories. Le sigh…
A very BIG thank you to the incredible St. Regis team for having me. I will cherish these moments for a lifetime!! Photos by the very talented Gregory Woodman, Jonathan Lipking, and video by Iris & Light.
