( CNN ) -- Bad weather is keeping Britain 's Prince Harry and a team of UK veterans stranded in South Africa , their take-off point to Antarctica where they will race U.S. and Commonwealth teams on a trek to the South Pole . Swedish actor and `` True Blood '' star Alexander Skarsgard is an honorary member of the U.S. team , while Dominic West , perhaps best known for his role as McNulty in `` The Wire , '' joins veterans wounded in combat from the Commonwealth nations of Canada and Australia . The seven-person teams also include a guide and mentor . They are trekking more than 200 miles ( 322 kilometers ) across Antarctica , in temperatures as low as -35 degrees Celsius ( -31 Fahrenheit ) , to raise money for the charity Walking With The Wounded . The three teams left London for Cape Town on Sunday , and had been due to fly to Antarctica 's Novolazarevskaya ( Novo ) Station on Tuesday , but a polar storm has kept them grounded . `` At the moment , they 're just waiting , '' a Walking With The Wounded spokesperson told CNN . `` They 're managing to do a bit of training , hiking up Table Mountain and around Cape Town . '' The spokesperson said their actual departure date would not be confirmed until the weather had cleared . Once the teams arrive at Novo Station , they 'll have three days of acclimatization before setting off on the trek , which is expected to take about 16 days . The teams will be pulling pulks -- or snow sleds -- containing all their food and equipment , which will weigh about 70 kilograms ( 154 pounds ) at the start of the trip , Hunter-Dunn said . Harry is a patron of Walking With The Wounded , a cause close to the prince 's heart . `` They 're going to achieve something quite remarkable and in doing so will prove to everybody else that even when you 've lost a leg , you 've lost an arm or whatever the illness may be , that you can achieve pretty much anything if you put your mind to it , '' he said at the official departure in London last week . Despite his royal upbringing , it 's the prince 's role as a solider that has already won him praise from his fellow teammates and rivals . `` He 's laid back , we 're not scared to have him around , he 's just another soldier along with the rest of us , '' says Sgt . Margaux Mange , from the U.S. team . An army helicopter pilot who has served multiple tours in Afghanistan , Harry has had plenty of training for the big race . Back in 2011 , he spent time training for a Walking With The Wounded expedition to the North Pole , which saw him diving into the freezing waters of the Arctic . But he had to withdraw from that expedition early to attend the wedding of his brother . More recently , Harry traveled to Iceland for training and even spent 24 hours in an industrial freezer in preparation . But will it be enough ? The winning team is expected to cross the finish line in time to have Christmas back home .
Two seven - member teams are racing to the South Pole to raise money for wounded soldiers . Prince Harry is the patron of the British team competing in the Walking With The Wounded race . ` ` True Blue '' actor Alexander Skarsgard and Dominic Cooper of ` ` The Wire '' are also taking part . A polar storm at Novo Base is leaving the team stranded in Cape Town , South Africa .