Monaco's royal action man, Prince Albert II, presented the project for his upcoming nine-day North Pole expedition on Monday, explaining that its object is to help raise awareness of environmental issues.
Speaking at the Oceanographic Museum founded by his great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert I, the prince said, "If, in our modest way, by this action, we are able to bring environmental problems to the forefront and force some leaders to take stronger actions, the expedition will have achieved its objectives."
The sporty prince, who is a regular member of his principality's Olympic bobsleigh squad, is due to take his six-sledge, seven-person team to the North Pole from April 10-19, 2006. They will set off from the polar drifting station of Barneo and cover 75 miles during the trek.
The son of Prince Rainier and Hollywood screen legend Grace Kelly, 47-year-old Albert is a keen environmentalist. One of his first actions on becoming monarch this year was to announce his principality would ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which aims to limit the emission of greenhouse gases.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Photo: © Alphapress.com
