As a royal, Prince Harry will have experienced several epic birthday gifts over the years — but it appears that his close friend Oprah Winfrey really pushed the boat out one year with the extravagant present she gifted him.
Speaking on the reality TV show Stars on Mars, Iron Chef star Cat Cora told professional cyclist Lance Armstrong, that Oprah had once hired her to cook a meal for the Duke of Sussex on his birthday.
“Explaining the moment to Lance, she revealed: “One day I hear my phone ringing, and it’s Oprah, and she says: ‘Cat, it’s Harry’s birthday and I need you to cook for them.”
Although Cat didn’t reveal what meal she prepared for Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, she did reveal that she became friendly with the couple, describing them as “buddies” and “really nice”.
She also shared her love of the late Queen with Lance, describing her as “sweet”.
Stars on Mars is a new reality game show airing on Fox which sees celebrities in a base camp in Australia that has been designed to mimic conditions on Mars.
The competing celebs must work together to complete missions, before voting to eliminate their fellow castmates who might be underperforming in the challenges.
In the latest episode, the group had to track down an intruder on the base, and chose to eliminate Lance, after he felt he was clashing with other contestants and hindering their progress.
Harry is currently in Japan and on Wednesday, the Duke made an appearance on stage in the Japanese capital of Tokyo. The 38-year-old wore a blue suit with a white shirt and was all smiles at the ISPS Sports Values Summit-Special Edition.
It comes after the father-of-two was seen arriving at Haneda airport on Tuesday with longtime friend and Argentine polo player, Nacho Figueras.
At the event, he joined a group to discuss the power of sports, community and philanthropy, and stressed the importance of teamwork, saying sports required having “a dream” and the “need for the community”.
“I have long believed that sport is a conduit for healing – not just for the mind and body but the world,” Harry said. “The lessons we learn on the field are the same principles of philanthropy: that a mission, hard work, dedication, and partnership can make even the impossible, possible. Whether banded together in victory or showing up with respect in loss, no one ever crosses a finish line or scores a goal without the help and belief of others. That, to me, is the power of sport.”
On Saturday, Harry and Nacho will travel to Singapore for their fundraiser, the annual Sentebale ISPS Handa Polo Cup.
Ahead of his travels, the Duke said in a statement: “The annual Polo Cup is essential to Sentebale’s vital work ensuring children and young people are healthy, resilient, and able to thrive. The funds raised this year will support our Clubs and Camps programme, which provides intensive psychosocial support to young people living with HIV.”
Sentebale was founded by Harry and Prince Seeiso in 2006 as a response to the needs of children and young people in Lesotho. The name means ‘forget-me-not’ in the Sesotho language, representing a pledge to remember the most vulnerable children in the region.
