Prince Harry cuts a surprisingly low-key figure in his and Meghan Markle’s latest Netflix endeavour, POLO, which has been released tod…
Prince Harry cuts a surprisingly low-key figure in his and Meghan Markle’s latest Netflix endeavour, POLO, which has been released today.
Instead, the 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, who suffers from ‘anger issues’ and has admitted to cheating on his exes.
French-born player Louis, 43, features heavily in the show and in one of the more dramatic scenes, the hunky 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 Sussex’s £80million deal with the streaming platform – is likely to raise some eyebrows considering his past.
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 is sure to 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’.
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.’
Devaleix, a former professional golfer who took up polo in 2020, has had various business interests including drug treatment centres and fire engine technology.
He met second wife Ms Baker in 2016 and they married the following year in Palm Beach.
They split 12 months later and divorced in 2019 after a bitter court battle during which Devaleix claimed his ex-wife’s wealthy parents paid for private investigators to put him under 24/7 surveillance.
The case file shows they have continued to argue through the courts over matters such as child support and school fees, with the latest filing last July.
Devaleix sued his second wife for slander and battery for some of the claims she made during the divorce. The case was later dismissed.
Among the dozens of court documents, there is unflattering testimony about Devaleix’s alleged temper. In a text from May 2018, Ms Baker argued with Devaleix about his alleged rages.
She wrote: ‘You scared me and left us the other night.’ Devaleix replied: ‘I scared you? Because I said FU, why would you say that?’
Ms Baker said: ‘You did not say it. You screamed it. Put your finger in my face between my eyes. In front of our son.’ He shot back: ‘Yes, I screamed it and I’m sorry truly, I’m sorry for cursing at you.’
In her response, Ms Baker said: ‘I did not feel safe for myself or Ames [their son].’ She went on: ‘You must understand this revolves around your inability to control your temper and attacks. Until you get the help you need, I’m uncomfortable being around you.’ Devaleix replied: ‘I’m sorry for the cursing and the fights truly.’
Devaleix strongly rejected his ex-wife’s claim that he was physically violent towards her and called it a ‘lie’ in court papers.
In the marriage dissolution, a judge agreed with him and found that even though Ms Baker’s family spent $125,000 on private investigators to monitor Devaleix – who, according to court documents, was earning $1million a year – he did not find anything that would ’cause concern’.
The judge found that there was ‘no evidence whatsoever the husband had been violent with the wife’ and questioned how ‘candid’ Ms Baker had been about those claims.
The judge also noted that when accused by Ms Baker of abusing drugs and being violent, Devaleix offered to undergo drug screening and enrol in an anger management course. It is unclear if he attended.
Devaleix – whose third wife Pamela is a polo player and they have a baby daughter – was not available when approached for comment by the Mail On Sunday. A spokesman for the Sussexes referred a similar request to Netflix, whichhad not responded to the Mail On Sunday at the time of writing.
MailOnline has contacted Devaleix’s polo team La Fe for comment from the player and representatives for Netflix and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Discussing who features in the Polo series, Netflix’s companion site Tudum, appeared to note Louis Devaleix, from team La Fe, as one of six main cast members.
‘Devaleix only started playing in 2020 at the age of 38 and, despite his recent entry into the sport, he won the notable East Coast Open in 2022,’ the website explained.
‘Devaleix is married to Pamela Flanagan Devaleix, a US Open champion polo player, and the couple is expecting their first child together throughout the course of the series.’
During the show, Pamela admits that polo can ‘take a toll on the family’, especially since her husband travels back and forth to Argentina twice a week.
And the other Polo stars…
Prince Harry, 40, only appears a handful of times throughout the five episodes, with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, 43, appearing even less – despite both being executive producers of the show.
Harry is seen in the opening credits of the programme, but doesn’t appear again until episode four, when he is only part of a conversation with the other players.
The series goes behind the scenes of professional polo, offering an ‘unprecedented look into the players’ lives on and off the field’.
It features Nacho Figueras, a long-time friend of Prince Harry‘s and a professional polo player and shows the ‘fierce rivalries’ and the ‘intense training’ that those competing in the US Open Polo Championship go through.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the polo stars who do feature in the series – alongside their glamorous family members…
Nacho Figueras
Prince Harry’s close friend Ignacio ‘Nacho’ Figueras, an Argentine polo player with whom he shares a close relationship, features in the new series.
Nacho, 47, dubbed ‘the David Beckham of Polo’ is known to be close to both Harry and Meghan and appeared in the couple’s first Netflix series, the bombshell six-part documentary which sent shockwaves through the royal family.
Meanwhile, Nacho’s wife Argentine socialite and businesswoman Delfina Blaquier, 42, even called the Duchess of Sussex a ‘sister’ and ‘fellow polo-wife’ in an Instagram post in 2022.
Argentinian-born Ignacio Figueras may be one of the top polo players in the world, but he has earned a few other credentials to his name, from fashion model to philanthropist and is a close friend of the British Royals.
Over the years, Harry and Nacho have played together in numerous polo matches, both competitive and charity games, and the Argentine has become a strong supporter of and contributor to the Duke’s charity, Sentebale.
In 2023, the pair played in the Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup to raise money for people living with HIV and AIDS.
The charity match takes place annually and raises significant amounts, raising over $13.8 million since 2010 to support Sentebale’s work with children and young people affected by poverty, inequality and HIV/AIDS in southern Africa.
The Duke, who is a Co-Founding Patron of Sentebale, played on the Royal Salute Sentebale Team, against the Singapore Polo Club Team captained by Nacho – the charity’s ambassador.
Described by Tatler as ‘the David Beckham of Polo’ Nacho holds a six-goal handicap and an estimated net worth of $30 million, and has been modelling for Ralph Lauren since 2000.
But modelling was never the goal for the athlete, who began his career just to earn some extra cash and bring more attention to his beloved sport. It all took off when he was approached by photographer Bruce Weber at a party in The Hamptons hosted by Calvin Klein’s ex-wife Kelly, who encouraged him to get his start in modelling.
Known as one of the most recognisable players in the world, he has actively spoken out to defend Harry and Meghan over the years.
He appeared on Ellen’s show in September 2019 to announce that he would ‘defend his friends’ with his life.
During the interview he also described Meghan as ‘incredible’, and revealed how she ‘gave up everything for the man she loves’.
He also promotes a selection of six fragrances, including one named ‘Windsor’, which hinted at a ‘brotherhood of kindred spirits’ with the Duke.
While his modelling career has introduced his objectively handsome face into everyday homes via glossy fashion magazines and television commercials, the game of polo has always been his true passion.
Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he started playing the game at the ripe age of nine years old after his father introduced him to the sport. He became a professional polo player by the time he was just 17. After a stint in Europe, he ended up at the White Birch Polo Team based in Bridgehampton, New York.
But Nacho’s love for both polo and investing in charity work is what ultimately led him to his most famous relationship.
He and Prince Harry share some common interests, one of them being, of course, polo. The pair have been playing alongside each other in charity matches for the past decade, ultimately becoming close friends.
Along with forming a special friendship with Prince Harry, the game of polo also brought him to his wife Delfina Blaquier, the daughter of an Argentinian polo player.
The pair first met, fittingly, 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.
Adolfo & Poroto Cambiaso
The series featured ‘superstars’ of the game – such as Argentine father-son Adolfo Cambiaso, 49, and Poroto, 19.
Adolfo, considered one of the finest players ever, was shown facing off against his son in the US Open polo final in Wellington, Florida, earlier this year.
The Cambiaso father-son rivalry was a running theme in the series. In the show, Adolfo said: ‘I am very proud of my son but I try to beat him.’ His grinning son replied: ‘I want to win against my dad and say I’m the greatest in the sport.’
They were also joined by Adolfo’s model wife María Vázquez, 50, at the games. She’s known for her fashionable ensembles and glamorous looks.
At 17 years old, Poroto became the youngest player ever to achieve a 10-goal handicap, while his father has enjoyed a career spanning over three decades.
Adolfo, who owns a ranch in Argentina with 1,000 horses, has won numerous championships, including the Argentine Open and the US Open Polo Championship.
Meanwhile, Adolfo has made a fortune cloning polo ponies. While cloning is illegal in many horse-related sports including racing, it is legal in polo with animals going for as much as $1million each.
One pony he cloned, called Dolfina Cuartetera, was dubbed ‘the Lionel Messi of polo’ in a nod to the Argentinian football legend.
Poroto rides one of the clones, known as ‘Cuartetera clone B09’, while a teammate is on an identical looking horse called ‘Cuartetera clone B06’.
Genetic modification has been used in equine sports for over a decade, with cloning becoming progressively more common since the first horse was cloned in 2003.
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) lifted a ban on cloned horses competing internationally in 2013.
Timmy Dutta
Timmy Dutta, part of team Dutta Corp, discussed ‘working hard to earn the respect and recognition’ of his ‘tough love’ father during the programme.
His father, ‘Big Tim’ Dutta, 59, arrived in the US from India four decades ago with just $313 in his pocket. Now he owns the world’s largest equine transit company.
He’s also the team owner and sometime coach of Dutta Corp and was shown chastising his son for not playing well while Timmy was depicted partying with a beautiful brunette in the trailer for the series.
His father looked to the camera and said: ‘Timmy’s looks are what they are. It’s distracting.’
It’s perhaps no wonder that Timmy is enjoying a successful career in polo, since he comes from a sporting family.
His glamorous mother, Susie Dutta, who appeared in the programme, is an international Grand Prix dressage rider, while his father grew up playing polo in India, according to SUCCEED.
Timmy started show jumping at the age of eight, before starting to play polo in his teenage years.
‘I had this dream of playing in the big leagues alongside the best players in the world,” Timmy told the website. ‘And I’m very lucky to say that I made that dream come true.’
Keko Magrini
Kristos ‘Keko’ Magrini has previously played in a game of polo against Prince Harry and along with Timmy Dutta and Poroto Cambiaso, makes up a new generation of the sport.
Emerging on the polo scene aged just 16 in 2021, the formidable competitor has already competed on the world stage, including at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.
But his success in the sport is perhaps not surprising given he’s from a renowned polo playing family.
He is often joined by his father Matias Magrini and brother Santino, who US Polo describe as a ‘fierce trio of generational polo players’.
The teen first got the attention of the polo world in 2021, when he won the US Junior Open and has since gone on to scoop up more titles and has been named the Most Valuable Player in the final of the 2021 Joe Barry Memorial title.
His one-time captain Nacho has previously said Keko has a ‘very bright future ahead, but also a very good present’ and that he feels ‘very proud and happy’ for him.
And he’s certainly enjoying the perks of being a young sporting star, with his Instagram page showing him enjoying travel across the world and partying with fellow polo stars.
Previous snaps show him in Florida, Río Cuarto, Argentina, Connecticut, and Santa Barbara.
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