Inside Meghan Markle’s warm relationship with Nacho Figueras, his wife Delfina Blaquier and their daughter Alba – as the ‘polo wives’ support their husbands in Miami
She may have become estranged from her half-siblings in recent years – but Meghan Markle appears to have found a ‘sister’ in Nacho Figureas’ wife Delfina.
Yesterday, the Duchess of Sussex was seen warmly hugging Prince Harry’s polo-playing pal Nacho as her husband filmed scenes for his new Netflix series in Palm Beach.
The mother-of-two, 42, also went on to embrace Nacho’s wife Delfina, who has affectionately described the Duchess as her ‘sister’ and ‘polo wife’ in the past.
The two women – who have forged a strong friendship after attending polo matches together to watch their spouses play – were seen walking away from their husbands with their arms wrapped around each other as filming got underway.
Later in the day, Meghan was also seen affectionately greeting the couple’s eight-year-old daughter Alba – giving her a kiss on the head and a warm hug.
Pictured: The Duchess of Sussex hugs polo player Nacho Figueras as she arrives in Palm Beach yesterday, where Prince Harry was filming for Netflix
Meghan Markle, seen here with a hat-covered woman believed to be Delfina Blaquier, on Saturday at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Palm Beach
On Friday, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Royal Salute Polo Challenge with the couple in Florida – where Meghan was seen holding Alba’s hand as they walked through the grounds.
Here FEMAIL delves into Meghan’s relationship with her ‘sister’ Delfina and her family.
Meghan’s ‘sister’
Alba’s mother Delfina has even previously referred to the Duchess of Sussex as a ‘sister’ when gushing over the ‘fellow polo-wife’ in an Instagram post in 2022.
She also praised the royal mother-of-two as being ‘stronger than she knows’ in an interview with Hello! magazine in the same year.
The beaming friends posed together at the celebrity polo match to benefit the Prince’s charity, Sentebale, in Palm Beach, before being snapped alongside one another once again on Saturday at the Royal Salute Polo Challenge at the Grand Champions Polo Club.
The two pals looked as close as ever as they smiled for photos alongside their husbands on Friday ahead of the charity pro-am polo match.
In 2022, following a glamorous polo meet in Aspen, Colorado, Delfina said: ‘[Meghan] is so wonderful and strong. Stronger than she knows. I love being around my friends, and I will always support her.’
Meghan Markle seen kissing Nacho Figueras and Delfina Blaquier’s eight-year-old daughter Alba behind the scenes of Netflix filming
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were joined at Friday’s charity polo match by Nacho Figueras – who is known as the ‘David Beckham of polo’ – and his wife, Argentine socialite Delfina Blaquier
Meghan smiled and waved at the cameras on Friday as she walked hand-in-hand with Nacho and Delfina’s daughter Alba
Meghan Markle seen hugging Delfina Blaquier in Palm Beach yesterday as the women’s husbands filmed scenes for Netflix
Meghan was also seen affectionately greeting the couple’s eight-year-old daughter Alba – giving her a kiss on the head and a warm hug
Harry was joined on the sidelines by Nacho. The pair later looked up with interest as the crew sent up a drone to get aerial footage of the game
The Prince cut a low-key figure in black jeans and a grey t-shirt – but his arrival was given away by a Netflix film crew who were on hand to shoot his interactions with the awe-struck players
Appearing relaxed and at ease, the couple was joined by close friends and a dozen-strong Netflix film crew for the new production
In an earlier interview with the publication, Delfina also revealed that the pair referred to themselves as the ‘P Wives’ which stands for ‘Polo Wives’.
Delfina has been married to the millionaire polo player, whose full name is Ignacio Figueras, since 2005 – and the couple attended the royal wedding together in 2018.
Alba and Lilibet’s friendship
What’s more, Meghan’s daughter Lilibet appears to have forged a close friendship with Alba.
According to Hello reporter Alexandra Hurtado, Alba was asking after her friend at the polo event on Friday.
The royal reporter wrote: ‘According to Nacho, Alba wanted to know why the Sussexes’ daughter Lili wasn’t there.’
The Duchess, 42, was seen in Palm Beach this weekend as she joined her husband Prince Harry for his new Netflix show about the genteel world of polo
Pictured: the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s daughter Lilibet Diana around the time of her first birthday in June 2022
Support in wake of Megxit
Since the Sussexes’ move to the US, where Nacho and Harry played polo together at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, Meghan and Delfina have become firm friends too.
In the summer of 2022, Delfina took to her social media account to share an affectionate message about the Duchess of Sussex, saying it had been ‘so special’ to spend time with her.
Posting a snap of the pair standing while watching their husbands compete at the Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet Club, Delfina wrote: ‘M – looking forward to many more of these times with you and H.
Delfina Blaquier and Nacho Figueras arrive at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor
In 2022, Delfina posted a gushing post about Meghan on Instagram and said she ‘couldn’t wait to see her again’
‘Getting to spend time together over these two months was so special. I wish everyone knew you the way you are.’
She continued: ‘My sister, my now fellow “pwife” (polo wife) -genius of you to come up with this. Can’t wait to see you again soon, to share thrill, hikes, and just more chill time.’
Delfina added: ‘You also have my respect. Keep walking, steady and strong. Listen to your heart, that will guide you well, because you have a big one and it’s a beautiful one. I love you my darling.’
Bonded over polo and blogs
Delfina first met her husband Nacho at a polo match in Buenos Aires in 1997. They started dating in early 1998 and welcomed their first son in 2000, and wed in December 2005.
The couple now has four children together: Hilario; Aurora; Artemo; and Alba.
Described by Tatler as ‘the David Beckham of Polo’, Nacho now holds a 6-goal handicap and an estimated net worth of $30million and has been modelling for Ralph Lauren since 2000.
He and Harry have been playing alongside each other in charity matches for the past decade, ultimately resulting in them becoming close friends.
Both Prince Harry and Nacho regularly play in charity matches to raise funds for Sentebale, an organisation co-founded by Prince Harry that supports children and young people affected by HIV in southern Africa.
Speaking about his friendship with the royal, Nacho told Town and Country magazine in 2019: ‘What I like the most about him is how real he is and how serious he is about improving life for kids that have not had the blessings that we’ve had.’
Meghan Markle and Delfina Blaquier (pictured together) arrive for the Sentebale Polo 2018 held at the Royal County of Berkshire
Sentebale Ambassador Nacho Figuares, Prince Harry, Sentebal’s then CEO Cathy Ferrier, Meghan and Delfina Figueras arrive for the Sentebale Polo 2018 held at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club on July 26, 2018 in Windsor
Nacho has been to Lesotho with Prince Harry at least three times, most recently opening the Mamohato Centre together in 2015.
Delfina, who is the daughter of an Argentinian polo player, grew up in Buenos Aires. Until the age of 18, she was an athlete, representing her country at various competitions in high jump.
She went to university and graduated with a degree in landscape design before becoming a professional model and photographer.
While her family spends a lot of time on the road, they are based outside Buenos Aires, where they own a 30-acre ranch housing some 40 world-class polo horses in 38,750-square-foot stables designed by Argentinian architect Juan Ignacio Ramos. Their family home is just a five-minute walk from the stables.
Writing on her blog, Delfina revealed that her children are homeschooled as a result of their nomadic lifestyle, as the family travels around the world for Nacho’s career.
On top of supporting her husband’s career and looking after her children, Delfina has a busy creative career. In 2018, she cofounded fashion brand Àcheval Pampa, with the label making its debut at Paris Fashion Week AW18.
The designs are inspired by her Argentinian heritage and achieves elevated gaucho style, an equestrian fashion of South American cowboys.
She also dedicates a lot of time to We Are Figueras, her fashion and lifestyle blog she created to share her family’s travels.
On the blog, she writes: ‘As the children grow older, I felt I needed to work on something for me, I consider myself a creative type of person and had all this ideas of doing something fun.
‘Creating a blog was a lot of fun, and A lot of work. I thought that is was a great idea to put my point of view and share with you things I like doing, seeing, watching, getting or even visiting.
‘There is so much out there, and I thought it was a good idea to do it every where I was.’
The polo couple has been friends with Prince Harry for years, and were among the few attending perhaps one of the most exclusive events of the decade: the 2018 wedding of the royal to Meghan.
