Meghan Markle showed off her Spanish skills while Prince Harry proudly boasted his wife is ‘fluent’ in the language in a new Netflix documentary about professional polo players.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex make a brief cameo in Netflix’s Polo – following the sport’s US Open held in Florida earlier this year – which is co-produced by the couple’s Archewell firm.
The couple’s fans will have to wait until the fifth episode to catch a glimpse of Harry and Meghan, with much of the five-part documentary focusing on the Duke’s friend – a little-known Argentinian player Nacho Figuer as.
Their blink-and-you-miss-it appearance comes at the beginning of episode five, when Harry plays a charity polo match for his non-profit Sentebale.
At one point during the episode, the 40-year-old royal introduces Meghan, 42, to his teammate on the Team Royal Salute Sentebale, Alfonso Cambiaso – who is widely regarded as one of the greatest polo players of all time.
While introducing Meghan to Cambiaso, Prince Harry revealed the Duchess is ‘also fluent in Spanish’.
The former Suits actress, who can speak three languages, followed Harry’s lead and continued the rest of their conversation in Spanish.
‘I lived there about 20 years ago. In Palermo Viejo (Buenos Aires),’ she told the polo legend.
Meghan Markle showed off her Spanish skills while Prince Harry proudly boasted his wife is ‘fluent’ in the language in a new Netflix documentary about professional polo players
At one point during the episode, the 40-year-old royal introduces Meghan, 42, to his teammate on the Team Royal Salute Sentebale, Alfonso Cambiaso – who is widely regarded as one of the greatest polo players of all time
‘Las Canitas too,’ Meghan continued.
‘That’s great, that’s where the polo fields were,’ Cambiaso replied, before asking Harry whether he speaks Spanish as well.
‘Yes!’ Meghan replied on his behalf, before the Duke said: ‘He knows I don’t.’
According to People, Meghan became proficient in the language during her time interning at the US Embassy in the Argentinian capital, and studying abroad in Madrid, Spain.
The mother-of-three was praised for her fluent Spanish skills when Meghan and Harry visited the Homeboy Industries charity in Los Angeles in June 2020.
The charity, which supports people following incarceration or gang involvement, was impressed when Meghan ‘spoke Spanish perfectly’, according to the group’s founder Father Greg Boyle.
‘She spoke Spanish perfectly with one young woman,’ he told People. ‘She just went right into Spanish, which was a revelation – and it was very good.’
Apart from English and Spanish, Meghan is also a fluent French speaker.
The Duchess of Sussex, 43, who learned Spanish in 2002 when interning at the U.S. Embassy in Argentina, appeared completely at ease during her and Harry’s four-day visit to Colombia in August this year.
Their blink-and-you-miss-it appearance comes at the beginning of episode five, when Harry plays a charity polo match for his non-profit Sentebale
Meghan planted a kiss on Harry after his team the Royal Salute Sentebale won the charity match featured in episode five of the docu-series
Meghan studied at Northwestern’s School of Communication where she took Salsa dance classes and graduated with a bachelor’s degree as a double major in theatre and international studies.
She studied abroad in Madrid in 2002, during which time she developed her Spanish speaking skills after taking five courses which were mainly taught in Spanish while she stayed with a host family.
Over the years the duchess also developed a love for Hispanic designers and has showcased her support for Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz on many occasions, as well as Venezuela born Carolina Herrera and brand Juan De Dios, which was founded in Cali.
Meghan showed off her ability to speak Spanish as she addressed the audience during her ‘Afro women and power’ talk in Colombia.
The duchess spoke at the event in the city of Cali’s theatre, accompanied by her husband Prince Harry who watched from the crowd.
The duke sat with a translator earpiece as his wife kicked off her talk with a segment in Spanish, calling Vice President Francia Marquesa ‘my friend’.
After opening in Spanish at her talk in Cali, Meghan gave a gesture of relief as she managed to speak the language after many years.
She said: ‘I would like to begin in Spanish because we are in your country, my husband and I, and I can feel this embrace from Colombia.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex seen at the Unidad Recreativa El Vallado on August 18, 2024 in Cali, Colombia
Harry and Meghan during their four-day visit to Bogota, Colombia, in August this year
‘It’s incredible, so many, many thanks, because the culture, the history, everything has been like a dream on this trip.
‘Sorry if my Spanish is not perfect because I learned it 20 years ago in Argentina, but I’m trying here because I can feel this community and this feeling which is the best in the world.’
She added: ‘So thank you very much to the vice president, my friend, many thanks.’
The new Netflix series was released after it was reported bosses at the streaming company were disappointed over Harry and Meghan’s limited screentime in it.
A source told that Netflix – who signed an $80 million deal with the couple’s Archewell Productions – expected ‘more bang for its buck’.
The new series, which hardly features Harry and Meghan, has been nicknamed ‘the Nacho show’ behind-the-scenes because it focuses primarily on the Argentinian player.
Harry and Meghan signed a five-year deal in 2020 for several shows, but one Hollywood producer told : ‘What Netflix have received in return doesn’t look great. People want personal stuff.
‘Apart from their documentary series, which had the drama of them quitting the Royal Family, everything else they’ve produced has been underwhelming.
‘Any reasonable person tuning into a show about polo made by Prince Harry would expect Harry to take a starring role.
‘That he’s not is hugely disappointing for Netflix. Let’s face it, polo isn’t exactly a mainstream sport so the attraction would have been watching Harry. Without him, it’s marginal at best.
‘The Netflix deal expires next year, so the Sussexes need a big hit. This sounds like a big nothing burger.’
Another insider said: ‘For a show about a sport of Kings, polo barely features any royalty. It’s not the Harry show, it’s the Nacho show.’
Mr Figueras, 47, has been dubbed ‘the David Beckham of polo’ but one source said: ‘Nice of Harry to do his mate a favour, but Nacho speaks broken English and is just not mainstream enough to pull in the ratings.’