King Charles III has shared a humorous look back at his daring younger self, recalling the moment he completed an historic ice dive in the Canadian Arctic while wearing a bowler hat.
A Royal Adventure in the Frozen North
The monarch, now 77, revisited footage from his 1975 trip to the Arctic as part of a new ITV documentary. A young Prince of Wales, then just 26, ventured to the remote region, home to polar bears and Arctic wolves, driven by a passion for the environment and a spirit of adventure.
The defining moment of the 11-day visit was an ice dive near Resolute Bay, in what is now Nunavut. Despite the serious and perilous nature of diving beneath five-foot-thick Arctic ice, Charles injected his trademark humour into the event. He emerged from the dive hole wearing a black bowler hat and holding an umbrella, a sight his diving companion, physician Joe MacInnis, likened to "Mary Poppins in the flying nanny scene".
Reflecting on the stunt with amusement, the King said, "We had some laughs. I thought it'd be rather fun coming back up with the hat on, and I thought, a chance to fool around." His other antics included inflating his snowsuit with air to see how far it would expand.
A 'Splendid' But Freezing Experience
When asked about the dive at the time, the then-Prince described it as "splendid" and "very, very interesting indeed". He then added with candid humour that it was "bloody cold," a remark met with laughter from those present.
The 1975 trip was formative, shaping the King's lifelong environmental advocacy. Beyond the dive, he spent time learning about the local Inuit culture and their dependence on the land, even sampling raw seal liver when it was offered.
The documentary, 'Steve Backshall's Royal Arctic Challenge', airs on ITV and ITVX at 8:30pm on 18th December. In it, environmentalist Steve Backshall, 52, retraces the King's steps to examine the accelerating impact of climate change over the past 50 years. The Arctic is warming three times faster than the global average.
A Lifelong Passion for the Planet
During his appearance, King Charles is set to discuss the "devastating effects" of climate change. The programme's director, Marshall Corwin, said it was "eye-opening" to see the King's "extreme spirit of adventure", "genuine passion for the planet", and "mischievous sense of humour".
Executive producer Nicky Cox praised the monarch's "decades-long dedication to the environment" as "visionary". Steve Backshall added, "His Majesty was raising the alarm for the natural world long before most of us realised how urgent that call would become."
The Royal Family's official social media account shared the nostalgic clip, highlighting the "true adventure in freezing temperatures" that helped forge the King's environmental commitment, an issue that remains at the forefront of his work today.
