Prince William Takes on Patron Role for Max Worsley’s Antarctic Onwards Expedition
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Editorial Dept.
Prince William has agreed to be patron of a new Antarctic expedition: The Onwards Expedition led by polar explorer Max Worsley. Departing later this year, the expedition will have Max on skis, unsupported, to the South Pole along the same route his father Henry Worsley took ten years ago. The trek will honor his father’s legacy and raise awareness about the significance of Antarctica to encourage young people to connect more with nature.
According to a press release from Onwards Expedition, Max will be skiing 1,400km across Antarctica to the South Pole.
Announced on the ten-year anniversary of his father’s death, Max will set out this November with Norwegian adventurer Martin Nesse to ski completely unsupported, from the edge of the continent to the Geographic South Pole. As part of their 1,349km journey, Max and Martin will battle temperatures of -40°C, hurricane-force winds and a climb to 2,800m above sea level. Max will also be skiing the exact route that his father skied to the South Pole 10-years earlier on his third and fateful expedition.
The Prince was proud to be Patron of Henry Worsley’s second and third expeditions and was delighted to have been invited to be Patron of Max’s.
The Prince of Wales said: “I was immensely proud to have supported his father Henry, and it is deeply moving to see Max skiing the same route ten years on, demonstrating the same courage, determination and sense of purpose that defined his father’s life.
“This expedition is not only a powerful tribute to Henry’s legacy, but also a reminder of Antarctica’s vital importance to the health of our planet. Using this challenge to inspire young people to connect with nature and understand the role they play in protecting it is something I greatly admire, and I wish Max and Martin every success as they prepare for this remarkable endeavour.”
Max Worsley said: “It is a great honour to have The Prince of Wales as Patron for my Antarctic project, The Onwards Expedition, after the support he so kindly gave my father for his final expedition.
“While this journey is inspired by the great explorers of the past, mine and Martin’s focus is firmly on the future. We want to use this expedition as a platform to raise awareness of Antarctica, a place that has a vital role in the health of our planet and affects all of us, no matter where we live. We also want to help and encourage young people to connect with nature, giving them opportunities to get outdoors and become curious and confident in wild places.”
Max’s father, Lieutenant Colonel Henry Worsley MBE, was a British Army officer and polar explorer. In 2008/09 he led an expedition retracing Sir Ernest Shackleton’s route from the famous Nimrod expedition and returned in 2011/12 to lead a team in a race to the South Pole, following the paths of Amundsen and Scott. In 2015 he set out once more, aiming to complete the first solo, unsupported crossing of Antarctica. He was airlifted on day 70, having come very close to achieving his goal, and died shortly afterwards in hospital in Chile.
The Onwards Expedition will support two organisations through fundraising and awareness:
- The Earthshot Prize – the world’s most impactful and prestigious environmental award designed to identify, celebrate, and back ambitious climate leadership from every corner of the globe.
- British Exploring Society – working with partners to open up opportunities for young people to discover remote and challenging parts of the world.
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