The King will make a TV appearance alongside British naturalist and explorer, Steve Backshall, this Christmas. In a new 90-minute documentary from ITV, the pair will sit down to discuss the impact of climate change as the adventurer, 52, retraces the monarch's steps from his 1975 to the Canadian Arctic exactly 50 years on.
Then Prince Charles made the formative trip when he was just 26, where he took part in dog sledging and a half-hour dive under Arctic ice at Resolute Bay with the Royal Canadian Navy. He donned a red wetsuit and scuba diving equipment for the adventurous dive, later revealing that the experience was "splendid, but bloody cold!".
© Getty ImagesDuring the trip, he also learned about the local Inuit people's culture and dependence on the environment around them, shaping his lifelong passion for the environment – and his belief in the importance of living in harmony with nature. Meanwhile, Steve will find out how much has changed since that time, as well as looking at the accelerating impact of climate change on the Arctic, which is warming three times faster than the rest of the world.
© Buckingham PalaceSteve said: "To see the Arctic through The King's eyes – then and now – was both inspiring and sobering. Standing where The King once stood, diving beneath the same Arctic ice he explored half a century ago, was humbling beyond words. His Majesty was raising the alarm for the natural world long before most of us realised how urgent that call would become. His commitment to protecting our planet runs through every fibre of this story."
Meanwhile, Director, Marshall Corwin, said: "It has been a real privilege - and eye-opener - seeing His Majesty the King as never before: his extreme spirit of adventure, his genuine passion for the planet, and his mischievous sense of humour."
© ITVThe film, Steve Backshall's Royal Arctic Challenge, will be shown as part of ITV's Christmas schedule.
