As a young boy, Prince Harry witnessed a dramatic moment that could have ended in tragedy when his father, King Charles III, was saved by a fellow polo player.
In his memoir Spare, the Duke of Sussex recounts the chilling event when Charles was thrown from his horse during a match.
Initially, it appeared as if his father had simply fallen asleep, but the reality was far more dangerous—Charles had swallowed his tongue.
Thanks to the quick thinking of another player, his airway was cleared just in time, and his life was spared.
Years later, that memory would resurface for Harry as he faced a moment of his own.
Weighing whether to take a spontaneous boys’ trip to Las Vegas, despite the potential risks, he thought back to his father’s brush with death and decided to embrace the adventure, seizing the opportunity before him.
“I recently had an experience that reminded me carpe diem is more than just a cliché,” Prince Harry reveals in his memoir Spare.
Reflecting on a moment in Brazil while playing polo to raise funds for his charity Sentebale, the Duke of Sussex recounts a harrowing scene—a fellow player took a hard fall, echoing a frightening memory from his youth.
As a boy, Harry had witnessed his father, King Charles III, suffer a similar accident during a polo match.
“Pa hit the ground, the horse buckled, and it looked like he’d simply dozed off,” Harry recalled.
“I remember thinking: Why’s Pa snoring? Then someone shouted—he’s swallowed his tongue!”
A quick-thinking player leapt from his horse, pulling his tongue free and saving his life.
Years later, in Brazil, that memory resurfaced instinctively as Harry rushed to help the fallen player, mirroring the life-saving actions he’d seen as a boy.
