Polo in Santa Barbara Made $2.5m

The Royalist has previously reported on how Kate and William's popularity has boosted the Royal family's financial affairs, and now new figures published in New York show that their allure in America has significantly swollen the coffers of their international charities.For the Daily Telegraph reports that a polo match in which William played and Kate attended (William's team, won and Kate kissed him when presenting the trophy) in California generated revenues of $2.5 million (£1.63 million).The figures are contained in year end accounts for, "The American Friends of the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry".

The Telegraph says: Players paid more than £60,000 each to take part with the Duke in the match, which was played at the Santa Barbara Polo and Racquet Club in California. Six hundred guests, including the Hollywood actors Billy Zane and Jennifer Love Hewitt, paid up to £2,500 each for lunch.A St James’s Palace spokesman hails the polo event as “extremely successful”, adding: “Its costs were covered entirely by corporate sponsorship, enabling the net proceeds of $1.4 million (£915,000) to go directly to the American Friends of the Foundation, which is delighted to have had a very successful first full year of operation.“It is already helping to fund projects to support servicemen and women leaving the Army, and injured soldiers overcoming their physical and psychological challenges.”