Schoolgirl to ski to north pole

Camilla will face temperatures as low as -45C

A 15-year-old girl is attempting to become the youngest British female to ever ski to the north pole.

Camilla Hempleman-Adams hopes to follow in the footsteps of her world famous explorer father David, in completing the 80-mile journey.

The teenager from London hopes the trek will raise awareness of the melting polar ice caps due to climate change.

She will be joined by her father and Norwegian polar expert Rune Gjeldnes for the trip beginning on 3 April.

On Thursday, she met the Duke of Edinburgh after which she unveiled a 6ft (1.82m) ice clock in Parliament Square to highlight the rate at which the polar ice caps are melting.

She said: "My parents' generation have consumed the earth's resources and heated up the planet, changing those consumer habits will take time - but that's a luxury people living in the arctic don't have.

I'll miss my warm bed Camilla Hempleman-Adams

"Their world is vanishing before their eyes, my generation must act now."

The schoolgirl from St John's Wood, north-west London, will face temperatures of -45C temperatures, tough terrain and the threat of frostbite during her eco-challenge.

She said: "I'm scared and I don't know if I'll be able to cope with the extreme cold - but I'll do my best to keep on going.

"I'll miss my warm bed, my cat and the company of my schoolmates and my family."

It is Mr Hempleman-Adams' 14th polar trip, but he said: "I simply must have another person with me to ensure Camilla comes back safely. Her mother is worried enough as it is."

Camilla's expedition will be made into a documentary narrated by her and given to every school in the UK and US for free.