Britain’s Prince Harry will take part in a race to the South Pole with a
team of wounded British servicemen and women it was announced over the
weekend. The 28-year-old will take on teams from the United States and
the Commonwealth in the 335km Walking With The Wounded South Pole Allied
Challenge in November and December this year.
Prince Harry said at a press conference in London during which the
teams were announced: “So, it just remains for me to say to Soldier On
Canada, Soldiers To Summits from the US and Soldier On Australia -
welcome to the party. As a member of the British team, I will have a
brew ready for you when you join us at the Pole”.
Harry, who took part in the charity’s trek to the North Pole in 2011,
is already patron of the Antarctica expedition but on making the
announcement he confirmed he will be taking part with Team Glenfiddich
for the whole race.
He missed out on a bid to conquer Mount Everest with the group last
year because of his military commitments and he withdrew early from the
successful North Pole expedition to attend his brother’s wedding.
He said of the South Pole race: “The format may be different. The
scale is certainly different. But the aim remains the same - to enable
our wounded to do what they and all other servicemen and women do better
than anyone else I know - meet a challenge head-on and overcome it and
inspire others to do the same.
“Ladies and gentlemen, these men and women have given their all in the cause of freedom, in our cause.
“That they should once again step into the breach - this time facing
down the extreme physical and mental challenges of trekking to the South
Pole - just underlines their remarkable qualities.”
Harry, who is known as Captain Wales in the Army, added: “So, what
are these qualities? They are courage, to be sure; physical strength;
endurance, a sense of comradeship, absolutely.
“But there’s something else, something deeper than that. Something
that continues to draw me back to this charity and these people time and
again - and always will. It’s toughness of mind. An unquenchable spirit
that simply refuses to say, ‘I am beaten’”.
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