Prince Harry reaches South Pole (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

GlobalPost

Prince Harry and three trekking teams made up of wounded veterans reached the South Pole on Friday after setting out three weeks ago on the 200-mile Walking with the Wounded South Pole Challenge.

Harry, 29, is the first member of the British royal family to reach the South Pole after his trek across Antarctica with 12 injured soldiers from Britain, the US, Canada and Australia.

The Walking with the Wounded charity said the teams, which also included actors Dominic West and Alexander Skarsgard, arrived at their destination at 8:25 a.m. EST.

Initially a race, the challenge was changed to a non-competitive trek by organizers because of concerns about the safety of participants, some of whom lost limbs fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Harry, who serves as an army helicopter pilot, joked earlier in the week about expecting to arrive at the South Pole on Friday the 13th, calling it "unlucky for some, lucky for us."

More from GlobalPost: Prince Harry to trek 200 miles across Antarctica to South Pole

"The wind has dropped down, which is nice. I think everyone is feeling a bit tired but slowly getting into the rhythm," he said.

"Only just got into the rhythm now and it has almost finished."

The veterans participating in the trek have endured temperatures as low as minus 35 degrees Celsius (minus 31 degrees Fahrenheit) and winds whipping at around 50 miles per hour as they dragged 154-pound sleds.

Walking with the Wounded raises money to retrain injured troops and help them find new careers outside the military.

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