Prince Harry treks back to UK

Published on Saturday 9 April 2011 13:29

PRINCE Harry has arrived back in the UK after spending four days trekking to the North Pole with a group of wounded servicemen.

The royal, who flew back to an undisclosed airport yesterday, had been part of the team that has taken on the gruelling task of marching across miles of frozen wasteland to raise 2 million for the Walking With The Wounded charity.

A St James's Palace spokesman said: "Prince Harry is safely back. He's resting and he is full of admiration for the wounded lads who are continuing for weeks more."

Harry's return was delayed by 24 hours so repairs could be made to a landing strip at Borneo Ice Airfield, about 200 miles from the North Pole.

But he turned the problem to his advantage and spent an extra day on the ice with the servicemen - injured while fighting in Afghanistan - who were sad to see him go, a spokesman for the team said.

Harry, 26, spent three days training with the group last week at the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen and jumped into sub-zero Arctic water as part of his preparations while kitted out in an immersion suit.

But the challenge did not begin until Monday, a three-day delay because of dangerous winds around the Borneo Ice Airfield where they were due to land.