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Post by Admin on Dec 12, 2013 1:46:50 GMT
Prince Harry says he still in good spirits despite the trouble during his Antarctic trek. Rob Jobson reports. Prince Harry has said he cannot wait to reach the South Pole as he nears the end of his charity trek. The Prince had been racing with a team of injured British servicemen and women against groups from the US and the Commonwealth. But the event, organised by the Walking With The Wounded charity, was called off last week due to bad weather. Harry said the teams cannot wait to reach the finish of the expedition The teams were determined to reach the pole, however, and have since joined forces in order to cross the finish line together. With the trekkers now 28 miles from the South Pole, Harry said he is determined to reach the pole alongside his teammates. "Everyone is in really high spirits ... It is nice to see everybody intermingling with each other, not only every night because we camp together but also during the day," he said. The teams are about three-and-a-half days away from the pole "People are starting to enjoy it and it gives these guys a good chance to consider how they feel, (and) to think about friends at home, to think about fellow friends who are also injured." Trekking around nine to 12 miles a day, the teams have endured temperatures as low as -45C and 50mph winds. The terrain made up of sastrugi - sharp irregular grooves in the snow caused by wind erosion - has also made skiing particularly difficult.
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Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2013 21:37:20 GMT
A weary Prince Harry sounded relieved that his Walking With The Wounded team's journey to the South Pole was almost over. In the video blog, the Prince is seen trekking through the snow while wearing a red winter coat, and a scarf over his nose. According to the Prince, the team will arrive at the South Pole on Friday the 13th. “A half day on Friday and we get to the South Pole on Friday 13th - unlucky for some, lucky for us,” said the Prince. Prince Harry (left) and Team UK as they rest during the Walking With The Wounded trek Prince Harry has also expressed how excited he is to reach the end. In the previous blog, he spoke about that and also expressed how he is especially proud of one of the trekkers who is a part of the journey despite losing both legs in Afghanistan. “Everyone just can't wait to get to the end. I think mixed emotions probably, I think some people, for instance Duncan, double amputee, simply doesn't find walking to the South Pole a big enough challenge, which is why he really enjoyed the race,” he said. Prince Harry with Heath Jamieson (left) during the expedition. The royal and the other adventurers are nearing the end of their gruelling 200-mile trek across Antarctica with their goal almost in sight
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Post by Admin on Dec 14, 2013 16:40:47 GMT
Prince Harry and a team of injured troops are celebrating after completing a Walking With the Wounded expedition to the South Pole. Report by Anna Collinson. While Friday the 13th is an unlucky day for many, it now marks a momentous occasion for Prince Harry. The 29-year-old royal, along with his fellow Walking With the Wounded team members, arrived at the South Pole on Friday, Dec. 13, after their 208-mile trek, which began on Dec. 2. "Huge congratulations to all on the @supportthewalk expedition with Prince Harry- they arrived at the South Pole at 13.25 GMT #SouthPole2013," the official Clarence House Twitter posted this morning. Prince Harry and Heath Jamieson of Team Commonwealth at the South Pole. (AAP) Three teams—Soldier On (Australia and Canada), Soldiers to Summit (United States of America) and Walking With the Wounded (United Kingdom), which was led by Prince Harry—took part in the charity event. Originally, the American, British and Commonwealth teams were competing against each other, but the expedition director announced last week that the event would no longer be a race and the teams would instead be going at their own pace due to weather conditions. "All 12 of them have different reasons for being here and I don't think it's necessarily something that for all of them that it will, either tonight or tomorrow or when they get back home, but what an amazing journey for every single one of them and this charity really does do amazing things," Prince Harry said. "It's not just for the small minority that are here but hopefully in time to come through the documentary, and all the stories back home." He added: "It will just prove to everybody that there's so much that can be made possible when you think that nothing is left. But I'm so proud, I'm so chuffed and I'm so privileged to be here with all these guys and girls, and well done to Ed and Dags and everyone who's organized this, what an amazing accomplishment. I think we'll be having a few whiskies tonight and then everyone's looking forward to getting home. Mission success." In this handout image provided by Walking with the Wounded, Prince Harry (back row 4th R) poses with members of Team UK, Team Commonwealth and Team US as they reach the South Pole as part of their Walking With The Wounded charity trek on December 13, 2013 in Antartica. The Virgin Money South Pole Allied Challenge 2013, of which Prince Harry is patron, will see the participants race across three degrees to the South Pole.
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Post by Admin on Dec 16, 2013 21:37:40 GMT
Raising awareness and funding to assist wounded service members, participants in an international, charitable trek across Antarctica arrived at the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole station over the weekend. Three teams of seven participants each--representing the United Kingdom, the United States and the Commonwealth, which consists of several countries long affiliated with the British Empire--took part in the Walking With the Wounded charity event. His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales (center) on a tour of NSF's South Pole Station One well-known participant was His Royal Highness Prince Henry of Wales, more widely known as "Prince Harry," fourth in line to the British throne and a British Army veteran. The teams arrived on Dec. 13 local time. U.S. stations in Antarctica keep New Zealand time. Walking With The Wounded is a U.K.-based, non-governmental charity that funds both the re-training and re-education of wounded servicemen and women to help them find long term employment after leaving the armed forces. The group, according to its website, stages "extreme expeditions to illustrate the extraordinary determination and courage of our injured, using this platform to draw attention to the need to help in their career transition and to raise significant funds for charity." Upon their arrival at South Pole Station, expedition members were welcomed by U.S. Antarctic Program personnel on site with a tour of the station dedicated to science. Shortly after their tours, the expedition members departed on aircraft charted by their organization. NSF, through its Division of Polar Programs, runs Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in its role as manager of the U.S. Antarctic Program, through which it coordinates all U.S. science on the southernmost continent and aboard ships in the Southern Ocean as well as the logistics need to support the science.
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Post by Admin on Dec 23, 2013 22:58:37 GMT
Not even the soggy London weather could dampen the spirits of families who welcomed back a dozen wounded veterans returning from a grueling 200-mile journey across the Antarctic. The only person missing was the royal adventurer representing the British team, Prince Harry, who quietly returned to London separately. He was last seen in public doing some Christmas shopping in Cape Town, South Africa, still sporting the bushy beard he grew during the journey. Speaking about the prince, British team member Guy Disney told Sky News: "He's just a really good honest bloke and brings a lot to the party. "Harry brought a hell of a lot to the team, he carried extra weight for some of the other guys. He was always up for a laugh and you need that, you need to keep the banter going." Prince Harry and girlfriend Cressida Bonas will spend Christmas apart, it has been reported. According to The Telegraph journalist Tim Walker, Cressida will not join Harry at Sandringham or take part in the traditional Boxing Day shoot. "Cressida will be with her family for Christmas," one of Cressida's close friends told the publication.
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