Harry's best pal spotted with Zara and Mike, sparking 'distancing' rumours
Prince Harry's best pal has been spotted hanging out with Zara and Mike Tindall during a loved-up day out at the beach.
Nacho Figueras, who is dubbed the David Beckham of polo, and is one of Harry's closest pals, joined his friend's cousin and her former rugby player husband in Byron Bay, Australia, where they relaxed at the beach.
They were joined by Nacho's wife Delfina Blaquier, with the two couples, all wearing swimwear seen enjoying a stroll along the sand after a cooling dip in the sea. Nacho, who plays polo with Harry, is also believed to be a good friend of Zara and Mike, with him often pictured in the couple during their annual trip Down Under in January.
The outing set tongues wagging with royal fans on X, formerly Twitter, with one harshly writing: "Harry's bestie and Meghan's former pwife [polo wife] enjoy fun in the Aussie sun with Zara and Mike. Another distancing? It's getting mighty lonesome in Montecito."
He struck up a friendship with Harry through polo and in 2022, they both played as part of the Los Padres Polo team. The Argentinian has been a model for Ralph Lauren and in 2009 earned the title of the second most handsome man in the world in a poll by the magazine Vanity Fair.
Kate Middleton swears by £19.99 rosehip oil that helps 'reduce wrinkles & scars'Nacho and Delfina went to Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018 and met Prince Archie just weeks after he was born. In a 2019 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, she asked him about his friendship with Harry and the scrutiny he and Meghan came under during their time as royals. Talking of Harry, he said: "He is a wonderful man, someone who really cares. He's really committed. He really cares about children, and he cares about making the world a better place."
In the same chat, he was also full of praise for Meghan calling her an 'incredible girl'. He added: "She gave up all of the things that she had to marry this man that she loves, which is great. "And people think oh, how easy it is for you, a girl to go marry this guy. But nobody knows all the very hard things that go with this."
Before the interview aired on TV, Nacho posted a teaser clip of the chat on his Instagram page. He then wrote: "Thank you my friend Ellen for opening the conversation on why love should be the answer when we talk about people that work so hard to make the world a better place. "I will defend my friends @SussexRoyal with my life because they are making a difference and we should all be supporting and helping instead of attacking. Let's be kind to one another."
Last year, Harry enjoyed a 'lad's trip' to Asia with Nacho -and it appears to have been a fun-filled time. Their getaway included a visit to the ISPS Sports Values Summit in Tokyo and seemingly plenty of bonding time for the two men. In fact, they posed for a playful photo, which Nacho posted to his Instagram account. It shows the two men wearing women's sunglasses inside a Tokyo store as they fold their arms and pout for the camera. He captioned the snap: "Shopping for our wives".
His day out with comes as Zara, who wore an eye-catching floral bikini, indulged in a cheeky PDA with husband Mike as she hugged after a swim. She then wrapped a towel around her waist and was seen beaming as she shielded her face from the sun with a black cap and a pair of sunglasses.
Zara and Mike usually spend this time of year in Australia as Zara is an ambassador for the Magic Millions equestrian event which is held on the Gold Coast. And their beach appearance Down Under is a marked difference from Christmas Day when they joined the rest of the Royal Family from the festive season at Sandringham.
The couple joined the rest of the royals in the annual Christmas Day walk to church and were seen holding hands with their younger daughter Lena, aged four. Their oldest daughter Mia, who turns 10 next week, walked with the Prince and Princess of Wales and sweetly held hands with Prince Louis.