Prince Harry back from Arctic as ice runway fixed

Prince Harry flew back to Britain after a trek in the Arctic lasted longer than planned because of a broken ice runway, a royal spokesman said.

The younger son of heir to the throne Prince Charles joined a group of wounded servicemen late last month for the first part of their challenging expedition headed for the North Pole.

"He was due to leave just over a day ago, he's been delayed a day... It required some rebuilding of the runway," the spokesman said.

The group said in a blog on their website that a crack had appeared in the runway.

"We've had our supper and we are waiting for the helicopter to come and pick up Prince Harry, sadly, but it's been great having him with us," they said in a post.

The trekkers, two of them amputees, aim to raise money to help wounded soldiers rebuild their lives.