King Charles Looks Back at the Moment He Thought Survival Was Impossible
King Charles was once celebrated for his daring spirit, a royal unafraid of adventure, whether piloting a helicopter or plunging into Arctic waters.
There was a time when King Charles was celebrated for his daring spirit, a royal unafraid of adventure, whether piloting a helicopter or plunging into icy Arctic waters. He once did it all with fearless ease. Now, with the perspective that comes from time and age, the King admits he isn’t sure he would be able to endure those same feats today given his current health. Diagnosed with cancer two years ago, Charles has been undergoing treatment ever since. In a recent Channel 4 appearance, he revealed that from the new year, doctors have decided to scale back his treatment plan, seeing his improvement.
Reflecting on those earlier years, Charles revisited his wilder days with naturalist and explorer Steve Backshall on ITV, in an attempted to retrace the then 26-year-old prince’s footsteps for an upcoming television documentary. In 1975, the young royal embarked on a remarkable tour of the Canadian Arctic- an experience that would leave a lasting imprint on his life. Over ten unforgettable days, he immersed himself in the traditions of local Inuit communities, learning their way of life while embracing a series of extreme adventures in one of the planet’s harshest landscapes.
That formative journey helped ignite his lifelong passion for environmental stewardship and his enduring belief in living in harmony with nature. Backshall recreated the King's adventure fifty years later to show the world how much nature has changed over the years for a new documentary, Steve Backshall’s Royal Arctic Challenge. He also shed light on what the future might look like given the swiftly changing climatic condition. However, the highlight was him recreating the King's dive under the sea ice.
As soon as Charles saw the documentary's trailer he exclaimed, “Thank God I was younger in those days." He looked happy, clad in a red wetsuit in the video from the past. “I could never have survived it now," opined the King. In the following clip, the then-prince giddily flaunted his ice diving suit, puffed up with air for insulation to the photographers who laughed at his antics. “I blew the thing up to see how far it would go. There is a slight air of the Teletubby about that, if you don’t mind me saying,” said the monarch.
Further in the trailer Backshall discusses with the King how much the climate has depleted over the years and how the beautiful Arctic landscape has been negatively impacted. “The climate is changing faster than anywhere else on earth. If it carries on like this, all of this will be gone in a matter of decades,” warned the narrator. While the King is heartbroken over the tragedy, he is still glad to be able to witness the grandeur of nature and experience it in his prime.
"That it’s all going so fast. I’m very glad I was able to see it and I just want others to be able to witness the same things," he shared. The new documentary will be releasing on Thursday 18th December at 8.30pm on ITV.
