Kate cheers on William in sweltering charity polo match

The Princess of Wales cheered from the sidelines as William competed on a baking hot polo pitch in a charity cup.

The Prince of Wales rode alongside top professional players as well as keen amateurs at the Guards Polo Club, near Windsor, on Friday, with the day’s sport fundraising £1,050,000, pushing the Royal Charity Polo Cup’s total to more than £15 million.

Kate wore a gingham dress and sunglasses as she debriefed with her sportsman husband partway through one of the games, with Windsor Castle peering above in the far horizon.

(Yui Mok/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Yui Mok

It was the future king’s 15th appearance at the event and William, as usual, played the defensive position of number four.

Speaking over a tannoy, commentator Karl Ude Martinez reminded the crowd of the royal family’s polo legacy and how William and the Duke of Sussex used to compete together.

He said: “Obviously his brother plays, they play a lot together – they used to play a lot together.

“His father played, King Charles got up to a very good handicap – their grandfather played, the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, he played for many, many years and competed in many a big tournament.

“Their father before that played. They’ve played for many, many generations and it is something that is very close to their heart.”

The Prince of Wales played his usual defensive role during the match (Yui Mok/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Yui Mok

Mr Martinez praised William’s defensive skills that led his US Polo Association team onto a goal as temperatures neared 30C.

Polo players must hold the mallet in their right hand and the commentator said: “In fact, the Prince of Wales is left-handed but he had to learn to play with his right hand – he’s also an Aston Villa fan but we won’t hold that against him.”

William braved the heat as “a true professional”, Mr Martinez said, adding: “He has played for many years but he doesn’t often get time to play.

“He doesn’t get time to play at all, really, because of his commitments and his busy schedule.

“To have him here today to play is truly a very, very rare occasion.”

The Prince of Wales wiped sweat from his brow as he stood on the podium, flanked by all the tournament’s players, waiting to receive his team’s victory prize.

Kate presented their cup, and other awards, before the couple walked back across the pitch, hand in hand.

Kate debriefed with her husband partway through one of the games (Yui Mok/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Yui Mok

William’s squad included former England captain Mark Tomlinson, Saudi businessman Amr Zedan and Leicester City FC chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha.

Guests started the day with a champagne reception before a silent charity auction for causes including Wales Air Ambulance, the Royal College of Paramedics, mental health service Shout which aids those in crisis via text messaging, and the Maternal Mental Health Alliance.