Prince Harry's Polar trek suspended

British royal Prince Harry has been forced to suspend his expedition to the South Pole due to safety concerns.

The prince is taking part in a race across the Antarctic against teams headed by actors Alexander Skarsgard and Dominic West, but organisers halted the trek on Friday (06Dec13) as the adventurers encountered dangerous terrain.

The challenge's director Ed Parker reveals the participants were struggling with the conditions, and concerns for their safety promoted organisers to stop the mission.

Speaking on Saturday (07Dec13), Parker explained, "Until now, the three teams have been racing against one another across the Antarctic plateau, but yesterday I took the decision to suspend the race. The reason for this is entirely simple - safety, which remains the core principle of our expeditions.

"While all three teams were progressing well, it was becoming evident that there was a higher degree of stress imposed on the team members, due to unprecedented terrain on the plateau."

The Walking With the Wounded trek, which is raising money for injured troops, is expected to resume, although the teams will no longer be encouraged to race each other to the South Pole.