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Prince Harry ready for South Pole charity race

Britain's Prince Harry is to set off for a charity race to the South Pole next week, after months of preparation which included spending a night in a giant freezer.

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Walking With The Wounded (GETTY)

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Source: AAP


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Britain's Prince Harry is to set off for a charity race to the South Pole next week, after months of preparation which included spending a night in a giant freezer.

The three seven-man teams, including from Australia, are to fly to Cape Town on Sunday, Kensington Palace said.

On Tuesday, the teams will fly on to Novolazarevskaya Station, Antarctica, where they will spend a few days acclimatising before setting off for the pole on November 30.

The teams, who hope to reach their destination by December 16, are raising money for military charities from their home countries - Australia, Britain, the US and Canada.

Most of those taking part have been injured in battle.

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Several have had legs amputated, while others have suffered blindness, burns and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Aussies Corporal Seamus Donaghue and Private Heath Jamieson, both wounded in combat in Afghanistan, are taking part in the 335km-journey to the South Pole.

Hollywood actor Alexander Skarsgard, star of HBO series True Blood, is part of the US team.

English actor Dominic West, from The Wire, is racing with the Australian and Canadian team.

The teams will complete the race in stages of 15km-20km a day, the palace said.

They will face temperatures as low as -45C.

Prince Harry, 29, who is patron of the Walking With The Wounded charity, took part in a five-day trek to the North Pole in 2011.

On Wednesday, they were introduced to the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh by Harry at Buckingham Palace, and the Prince took the opportunity to show his grandparents some of the kit they will be taking with them.

West asked the Queen if she had been to Antarctica, to which she replied: "Of course not! I can't think of any reason why I'd want to!" The actor, who starred in the hit US TV show The Wire, revealed afterwards: "I thought 'Neither can I'."


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