Harry makes date with troops in Arctic Circle on Valentine’s Day

The Duke of Sussex will be spending this Valentine’s Day in the Arctic Circle with Royal Marines who are being trained in survival in the extreme cold.

Harry is more than likely to be reunited with his pregnant wife, the Duchess of Sussex, in the evening, but will spend the day meeting troops who are taking part in Exercise Clockwork in north Norway.

Exercise Clockwork is the traditional name for the gruelling annual winter training, based in one of the world’s most demanding environments.

Set 200 miles (322km) inside the Arctic Circle, more than 16,000 Royal Marines and Royal Navy sailors and airmen have taken part since 1969.

Harry’s visit marks the 50th anniversary of Commando Helicopter Force and Joint Helicopter Command deploying to Bardufoss in Norway.

Military personnel are taught how to survive, operate and fight in the sub-zero conditions and gain experience of operating aircraft in severe cold weather and mountainous environments.

The multinational exercise, hosted by the Norwegian Armed Forces, comprises Environmental Flying Qualifications, Cold Weather Survival, Tent Group Commander and Snow and Ice Driving Courses.

The duke, in his role as Captain General Royal Marines, will fly to the Air Station in Bardufoss on February 14 to meet military personnel living and training across six months of the year on the base.

Harry will also see field tents, snow vehicles and a Quincey Shelter – a makeshift shelter built of snow in which the elite forces are able to camp.

It is the duke and duchess’s first Valentine’s Day as a married couple.