Princes embark on charity motorbike rally in South Africa
Saturday, 18 Oct 2008 12:10
Princes William and Harry have set off on a motorbike rally across South Africa
Princes Harry and William have begun a 1,000-mile charity motorbike rally through South
Africa for charity.
Last summer, the two princes worked together on the organisation of a memorial concert for Princess Diana and will now ride together on the eight-day race with the aim of raising £250,000 for charitable causes.
Speaking about the rally, Prince William said: "The main reason why we're doing it is Harry and I had an idea last November to take part in this rally because it's a mixture of adventure and charity. The key being the money raised today goes towards Nelson Mandela's Children Fund, Unicef and Sentebale - three absolutely brilliant charities."
They added that they expected the race to be a difficult experience as the track was rough and had steep hills.
William told the BBC: "We both ride bikes at the moment on the road, but on-road biking is nothing compared to this. All the off- roads stuff is up hills, down slopes across rivers, and it's all rocky and hilly, it's going to be fun."
Harry added that he expected more than "just a bimble across the countryside" and said it was going to be a "challenging" experience.
Both princes will wear crash helmets, light body armour and protective footgear during the journey from Durban to Port Elizabeth.