On a brilliantly sunny day on Governors Island in New York Harbour, the 24-year-old prince drew a crowd that included stars like Madonna, actresses Kate Hudson and Chloe Sevigny, and rapper LL Cool J, but also lots of ordinary New Yorkers out for a rare sight: a polo game in the city.

The Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Polo Classic was a fundraiser for Sentebale, the charity that Prince Harry has set up with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho to help poor children and AIDS orphans in that small African nation surrounded by South Africa.

'Prince Seeiso and I both lost our mothers when we were very young,' Prince Harry said in brief remarks before the match. 'We set up Sentebale in their memory, and because my mother loved this city, it makes this occasion all the more poignant for me.'

His team, named after the charity, proceeded to defeat the opposing Black Watch team 6-5. Prince Harry assisted on the winning goal in the last seconds, drawing the biggest cheer of the afternoon. Both teams included prominent polo stars like Argentine Nacho Figueras, also a Ralph Lauren model, who played for Black Watch.

It was the second and final day of Prince Harry's first official visit to the United States, which began with a sober visit on Friday to the site of the Sept 11 terrorist attack. On Saturday morning, the prince toured Harlem's Children Zone, a community organization that offers families social and educational services. He and Prince Seeiso chatted with students working preparing for a Regents Exam.

Prince Harry, the son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, is third in line to the British throne, after his father and older brother, William. He's been dubbed the 'party prince,' and his New York trip seemed designed partly to counter that image with a focus on his charity work.

'I won't bore you with statistics, but please believe me when I say that Lesotho is a mere microcosm of what is so wonderful, but also so tragic about Africa today,' he said before the match, reading from notes. 'This beautiful kingdom has been ravaged by HIV/AIDS and poverty, leaving thousands of children without their parents.'

The event was free to the public, but guests in the VIP tent on the opposite side of the field had paid from US$50,000 (S$72,185) a table down to US$500 a head to picnic on the lawn. In true polo-watching fashion, there were more hats than at an Easter parade; for the women, they were topped by flowers, feathers and even butterflies climbing up a wire trellis.

Prince Harry, though, was casual before the match in a navy blue blazer, open-collared shirt and white jeans, and loafers. And Madonna, accompanied by her sons, Rocco and David, was positively dressed down: She wore jeans and a denim jacket as she chatted with designer Marc Jacobs. -- AP