Prince Harry was “excited” yesterday as his Arctic adventure finally got underway.

The 26-year-old was due to leave the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen on Friday with a group of wounded servicemen aiming to walk to the North Pole.

But their departure was put on hold because of dangerous winds around where they will land - Borneo Ice Airfield – about 322 kilometres from the North Pole.

Speaking shortly after he loaded his sled on to the plane that flew the team out of Longyearbyen this afternoon, Prince Harry said: “All the boys are really excited to finally be going - we’ve been sitting around here for far too long now.

“There is blue sky outside here at Svalbard, and I can’t wait to get on the ice with the boys.”

The team have been frustrated with news of delays since last week, and Prince Harry managed to extend his time with the group as much as he could.

He said: “It’s a shame I will only be able to spend about two-and-a-half days with them, but they are all really excited.”

The Walking With The Wounded expedition has been slightly shortened as a result of the delays, but Prince Harry said the challenge is still “remarkable”. The prince said: “The miles may have to be minimised only by a little bit, but it’s not going to make a difference to what these guys are doing.

“It’s truly inspirational and truly remarkable, so let’s keep the support going.”

The third in line to the throne has been on the island since last Tuesday, training and bonding with the servicemen who aim to raise £2 million for the Walking With The Wounded charity.

He has been cross-country skiing, testing his immersion suit for when he needs to cross cracks in the ice, and camping in temperatures of minus 30°C.

Prince Harry planned to stay with the team for the first five days of their charity trek, but he will be collected tomorrow and return home to fulfil military commitments – an important stage of his Apache helicopter training.

The wounded soldiers all sustained their injuries fighting in Afghanistan.