King Charles III: The Gary Neville of polo
One of King Charles III’s greatest passions outside of royal duty was polo, one of the world's oldest team sports. It’s a game played on horseback, where a long handled wooden mallet is used to hit a small ball. The King was considered to be a very good polo player and featured in some of the world’s strongest teams. His captain for five years was England international Julian Hipwood. Julian speaks to Caroline Barker about the times the then Prince stayed at his house in order to get a “quiet night”, how he mishit a shot and scarred Julian’s face and explains why he will do a “first class job” as King. We’re also joined by Antony Fanshawe, the director of polo for Guards Polo Club, which was set-up by Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh in 1955. Eleanor Oldroyd is one of the BBC Radio's most experienced sport commentators, but she also commentates on key royal events. Before the coronation of King Charles III, Eleanor joins us to discuss the similarities and differences between commentating on an event like this compared to cricket or the Olympics. Plus, we cross to Arizona to speak to Iain Ward, who is currently cycling across the United States to raise money for cancer research and mental health charities. In 2020, Iain was diagnosed with a brain tumour and was given around five years to live. His positive attitude and physically-taxing adventures have seen him amass over five million followers across his social media platforms.