Inside the ‘hyper-sexual’ world of polo: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docu-series glosses over the sport’s steamy side

The latest collab between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Netflix, the documentary series Polo, painted a somewhat wholesome image of the upper classes’ favourite sport.

However, the reality is a world away from the salubrious portrayal presented in the latest instalment of Prince Harry and Meghan’s £80million deal with the streaming service – with Jilly Cooper’s famous bonkbusters about the sport probably closer to the mark.

Harry, 40, who served as an executive producer alongside Meghan, 43, for the Polo series, promised the programme would depict the ‘true depth and spirit of the sport’, as well as the ‘intensity of its high-stakes moments’.

The five-part show centres around the build-up to the polo World Cup in Florida and mainly focuses on big name players such as Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Timmy Dutta, and Nacho Figueras. 

However, the series, which failed to impress critics, missed arguably the most interesting behind-the-scenes element, a socialite from Montecito, where Harry and Meghan reside, has claimed.

Talking to The Sun, Kiki Astor, 51, revealed that the sport is ‘hyper-sexual’, with the handsome athletes attracting hordes of groupie fans, which in turn, inspires non-PG behaviour in the sports grounds.

Astor, who is an author of raunchy polo novel Stick & Ball, told the outlet: ‘Polo is a hyper-sexual sport. Everyone is having affairs. There is a lot of sex’.

The sexual nature is a natural consequence of having ‘macho men’ playing a fast-paced sport, the author additionally claimed.

The Sussex’s Polo docu-series presents the sport in a tame light, but the reality might be much steamier and more in line with Disney+’s bonkbuster Rivals (pictured: still from Rivals)

The Sussexes’ docu-series, released globally on Netflix, glazes over the sport’s steamy side, an insider has claimed

Glamorous women, often upper class, equally bring good looks to the sport, with many flying into California to catch a game.

Astor added that she’s heard of stable boys pretending to be polo players to have their way with female supporters. 

The author watches polo at the Santa Barbara, which costs $10,000 (£7,904) to join and $200 (£158) per month.

‘You’ve got all these beautiful barns, trailers, clubhouses, stands, and even the scoreboards, where I have heard of hanky panky going on,’ Astor said.

However, it’s not only good looks that have made the sport appealing, it’s also the level of wealth associated with players and supporters, making it inaccessible to the masses.

Dubbed the ‘sport of Kings’ because of its association with royalty and blue-blooded athletes and royal pedigree, polo is so pricey that players must spend a small fortune before they even step on the pitch.

The starting kit alone, which takes in polo-playing essentials like a £500 helmet, £1,200 saddle and £600 specialist boots, costs £6,000 for a basic edition – with prices quickly rising for high-end brands. 

Then, there are the costs of a club membership – which cost in the region of £1,500, on top of the £400 needed to enter a tournament.

The sport has long attracted high society, including royals, but its expensive nature has made it inaccessible for some (pictured: King Charles, then Prince Charles, changing polo shirts in Windsor, 1985)

Pictured: Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, pose with other players as they attend the Royal Salute Polo Challenge to benefit Sentebale

The greatest expense, of course, is the horse, which costs around £100,000 to buy and £1,200 a month to keep, and around £35,000 to transport.

The mix of good looks and wealth makes polo players a prime target for singletons, but given that many are married, there is reportedly a culture of infidelity. 

Back in 2015, TV presenter Jeremy Kyle’s model wife Carla Germaine was said to have experienced the steamy side of polo and allegedly had a ‘passionate affair’ with an England polo player while Kyle was away in America.

The model, who was 40 at the time of the allegations, reportedly started a relationship with the then-25-year-old James Carr after meeting him during a polo lesson three years prior.

The sports star, who represented England in the sport in 2011, claimed the relationship began after they swapped numbers during a night out at Bar One in their home town of Ascot, Berkshire, in March 2015. 

Meanwhile, the Sussexes’ Polo documentary meets player Louis Devaleix, who has admitted to cheating on his exes. 

French-born Devaleix, 43, features heavily in the show and, in one of the more dramatic scenes, the former professional golfer turned polo star is seen smashing his mallet against a tent pole and hurling his helmet to the ground. 

However, his inclusion in the series – created as part of the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ £80million deal with the streaming platform – is likely to raise some eyebrows considering his past.

Jeremy’s Kyle’s former wife Carla Germaine (pictured together at Goodwood Horse racing in 2014) allegedly cheated on the television presenter with a polo player

The Polo series mainly focuses on players such as Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Timmy Dutta, Nacho Figueras and Keko Magrini – as well as controversial figure Louis Devaleix (pictured), who has admitted to cheating on his exes

First reported by The Mail On Sunday on December 1, court records in Florida reveal that the polo player has faced a slew of disturbing allegations from two previous wives – Tracy White, 43, a lawyer, and Brandace Baker, 37, with whom he has a seven-year-old son.

The Brazilian-raised businessman Devaleix admitted to becoming so enraged during an argument with his first wife Ms White that he smashed his fist into a door and ‘punched a hole through it’, the publication revealed.

He has also admitted to cheating on both Ms White and Ms Baker, as well as screaming and cursing at his second wife who claimed he jabbed his finger between her eyes in front of their young son. She alleged that he called her names such as s***, w***** and b****.

While Devaleix has vehemently denied any acts of abuse – and a judge ruled there was no proof he had been violent – his inclusion so prominently in the Sussexes’ show might raise eyebrows.

Meghan and Harry are passionate advocates of women’s support groups, through their Archewell Foundation, and, while there is no suggestion of serious wrongdoing by Devaleix, he did admit to anger issues, according to The Mail On Sunday’s report.

A Hollywood executive said: ‘The fact that a key figure in the show admits punching a door in a rage is quite extraordinary. These days, there is huge aversion to anything controversial.’

The Mail on Sunday revealed details of Devaleix’s court battles, contained in hundreds of documents.

In 2018 he sued his first wife Ms White, who he wed in 2012 before splitting four years later, for allegedly breaching the non-disparagement agreement they both signed during their divorce by talking to his second wife about his ‘sexual encounters, spending habits, purchases and travel details’.

Devaleix’s third wife Pamela (pictured together in April 2024) is a polo player and they have a baby daughter 

French-born player Devaleix, 43, features heavily in the show and in one of the more dramatic scenes, he is seen smashing his mallet against a tent pole (pictured)

The matter was voluntarily dismissed in 2022 but the case file includes a deposition in which Devaleix admits he cheated on both Ms White and second wife Ms Baker.

He talks about how Ms White came into possession of text messages between himself ‘and (other) women….naked pictures’.

‘On my end. I was unfaithful’, Devaleix said in a sworn deposition. ‘At the beginning of the relationship, I was unfaithful to my second wife, and, at the very end of my relationship, I was unfaithful to my first wife.’

He refuted an accusation he broke ‘multiple doors’ while he was with Ms White, though admitting: ‘I did break one door in her former house. 

‘I punched a hole through it and we paid to have it replaced – but not multiple doors.’

According to Mr Carr, the pair had sex up to 20 times during ‘six or seven’ get -togethers before the affair became the ‘talk of the town’. 

Talking to The Sun, Astor said affairs are common but mostly stay under wraps.

The writer added that the Sussexes could increase interest from viewers by showcasing aspects of the grittier side of the sport.

Increased viewership may be a goal that Harry, Meghan, and Netflix bosses explore, after Polo received a slew of negative reviews from critics. 

Receiving two stars or less out of five across the board, the five-part show has been labelled ‘a tedious inside-look at posh polo’ and a ‘mostly boring look at a sport that very few people outside of elite circles have any particular interest in’.

For The Guardian’s Stuart Heritage, who awarded the series just two stars, ‘Polo looks destined to fall through the submenus into obscurity at the speed of light’.

The Telegraph’s Ed Power, meanwhile, noted how there was ‘not enough of the Sussexes to make this anything other than a dull indulgence about a rich person’s pursuit’. 

Meanwhile, Decider urged viewers to ‘skip’ the series in its review, claiming: ‘Polo is a mostly boring look at a sport that very few people outside of elite circles have any particular interest in.’

Critic Joel Keller insisted: ‘The first episode was tough to connect with, because it presents a world that not only isn’t very relatable to most people, but is boring to boot.’

However, the writer did admit that ‘if you want to find out about the nuts and bolts of the game of polo, then Polo should be an interesting watch.’

It wasn’t just critics who were left unimpressed by the five-part series, with some viewers also labelling Netflix’s Polo ‘boring’.

The programme goes behind the scenes of professional polo, offering an ‘unprecedented look into the players’ lives on and off the field’. 

In Prince Harry and Meghan’s latest Netflix project Polo, the Duke cuts a surprisingly low-key figure

Pictured: Prince Harry, left, and Argentine polo player Nacho Figueras following the Sentebale charity match in 2023

The Duke of Sussex is seen playing in a polo match during the Royal Salute Polo Challenge in Florida in April

One person wrote on X: ‘Polo is one of the most boring series ever on Netflix’, while another individual added: ‘Polo is five hours no one can get back, boring!’

Another said: ‘OK, I am done. I can’t watch this s*** anymore. It’s too painfully boring. How they play Polo with all the other sports available is beyond me. Horse racing would be more interesting.’

But it wasn’t all bad reviews from viewers, with some insisting the show had them ‘hooked’, with one person writing: ‘Watched all five episodes in one sitting. Couldn’t pause even if I wanted to. Great job and well done to everyone involved!’

After the Duke of Sussex caused a storm with his bombshell Netflix documentary released in December 2022 that took aim at his own family, he cuts a surprisingly low-key figure in the show.

The Prince only appears a handful of times throughout the five episodes, with his wife Meghan appearing even less – despite both being executive producers of the series. 

Harry appears in the opening credits of the show, but doesn’t appear again until episode four, when he is only part of a conversation with the other players. 

Instead, the series mainly focuses on Adolfo and Poroto Cambiaso, Louis Devaleix, Timmy Dutta, Nacho Figueras, Keko Magrini – who all overshadow Harry – and preparations for the US open. 

Speaking to People Magazine previously, Harry said: ‘This series offers audiences an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look into the passion and determination driving some of the world’s elite polo players, revealing the grit behind the glamor.

‘We’re proud to showcase the true depth and spirit of the sport — and the intensity of its high-stakes moments.’