Features and Stories

Prince Harry Becomes First British Royal Family Member to Reach the South Pole

Prince Harry Becomes First British Royal Family Member to Reach the South Pole
Bernadine Racoma

Armed with courage and determination and accompanied by fellow adventurers, Prince Harry set on a journey to the South Pole and arrived at the destination on Friday, 12:48 GMT. He is the first member of the British royal family to embark on a journey to the South Pole.

Walking With The Wounded Expedition

Prince Harry trekked on sleds to the South Pole for three weeks with military veterans who sustained injuries while in service. The journey, which organizers call the “Walking With The Wounded Expedition”, was composed of twelve wounded military service people from Britain, the United States, Canada and Australia, with Harry as the 13th trekker. The trek was set up to call awareness on the organization as well as on military men and women that were injured while on duty.

Competition called off

Because of the bad terrain condition, a competition that was supposed to be held among the adventurers was called off. Four injured British soldiers and Prince Harry was with the UK team on the 200-mile hike. It was Friday the 13th when the group arrived at the geographic South Pole, but the “bad luck” stigma was erased when Prince Harry successfully hurdled the long journey on the Antarctica stretch despite undergoing a two-day delay. The harsh temperature and icy conditions across the region compelled the group to drop the competition and started to work as one whole group. The morale of the group went from up to down when they encountered difficulties and delays. Nonetheless, they regained confidence when they finally reached their journey’s end.

Humbled and amazed

In a voice statement released by the event managers, Prince Harry, 29, expressed how amazed he was about the whole adventure. He also said he was humbled by the performance of his fellow trekkers. The prince commended all 12 members of the group, saying their efforts showed how they have courageously overcome their disabilities such as loss of limbs and blindness. His voice in the radio message exuded with pride, wonder and humility as he extolled each of his companions who endured the long trip with him, to reach the earth’s bottom. He also thanked the organizers for their wonderful and systematic method in coordinating the expedition. According to the prince who is fourth in line to the British throne, they were having whiskies for the night before heading back home.

Partial training

A helicopter pilot for the British army, Harry underwent partial training in September for the South Pole event. He would stay overnight in a giant freezer to get used to freezing temperatures. Joining the prince in the expedition were actor Alexander Skarsgard and Dominic West. Skarsgard starred in “True Blood” and West appeared in a major role in “The Wire.”

Appreciation to comrades

In his radio statement, Prince Harry spoke highly of his teammate Sgt. Duncan Slater from Muir of Ord who fought in Afghanistan in 2009. He lost both his legs when the vehicle he was in exploded. Other members of Harry’s team are Major Kate Philp from Worcestershire, Capt. Ibrar Ali from York, and Capt. Guy Disney from Oxford. All four UK team members lost limbs in the battlefield.

Photo Credit: Prince Harry of Wales

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