Polo is a very British sport and Sotogrande, where it is played on the coast, put the flags out to receive a very British guest last weekend. Sarah Ferguson arrived for the Sotogrande Gold Cup for Polo, held at the Santa María Polo Club on the exclusive development - now almost a village in its own right - to present some of the prizes.
For most people the line between work and holiday is very clearly defined, but in Fergie’s case it may well have become somewhat blurred. She may just have come to the Costa del Sol just for a couple of days’ holiday and to see the odd polo match, but it is much more likely, although nobody would confirm it, that the organisers paid her a large sum of money for her presence - a wonderful opportunity, incidentally, for the paparazzi from both countries. But despite the fact that the Duchess of York speaks good Spanish the question of whether any money changed hands was never answered.
She was not accompanied by either of her daughters, Princess Beatriz or Princess Eugenie, or by Prince Andrew, on this occasion. Her stay lasted 48 hours, from Friday to Sunday, when she left for Athens to watch the Olympic Games.
Sarah, who has dropped into Sotogrande several times in the past, stayed, on this occasion, at the villa owned by the Vallejo Nájera family, who also own a polo club. There were rumours that the Duke of York’s ex was flying in with “someone special”, but in the end she came alone. The last time she was in Sotogrande was a year ago when she was accompanied by her ex-husband and their daughters. Now 45, and with a good figure, Fergie didn’t pick sunbathing to fill in the time during her stay but chose instead to cycle round the estate, her mobile phone her constant companion.
Courtesy of Sur in English
www.surinenglish.com
