Britain's Prince Harry arrived in Antarctica on Friday ahead of a gruelling trek to the South Pole with injured troops.

The 29-year-old royal landed at Novo airbase, near the coast of the frozen continent, after storms delayed his departure from South Africa by two days, according to the Walking With The Wounded charity which has organised the trip.

Speaking at the airbase, Harry, a helicopter gunner with the British army, said it was "nice to be here".

"The weather forecast is supposedly alright, but it seems to be getting worse," he told Sky News.

Harry is taking part in a 335-kilometre (210-mile) race to the South Pole between three teams of wounded veterans representing Britain, the United States and the Commonwealth (drawn from Australia and Canada).

Once acclimatised to the altitude and freezing temperatures, the teams hope to begin the race on November 30. They aim to reach the South Pole around 18 days later.

Harry, who is fourth in line to the British throne, is patron of Walking With The Wounded, which raises funds to retrain injured troops and help them find new careers outside the military.

The prince joined the charity for part of a trek to the North Pole in 2011, but had to come home early to be best man at his brother Prince William's wedding.