HARRY BEARS HIS SOUL Meg’s love tested in back of beyond
EXCLUSIVE FELICITY CROSS PRINCE Harry treated Meghan Markle to a night camping among polar bears to test her love for him.
The smitten royal, 32, took his actress girlfriend to the almost abandoned mining town of Barentsburg on their Norway trip this month.
After seeing in the new year in cultural Tromso, they headed north to remote Svalbard.
From there, they embarked on a gruelling eight-hour journey on snowmobiles.
That night, the loved-up pair camped in dangerous polar bear territory with one adventurer to protect them.
But the treacherous trip was just what Harry wanted, to see if Meg had what it took to be his wife.
One source close to Harry told the Daily Star Sunday: “Harry always said that he’d know if a girl was the one if he could take her to the middle of nowhere and survived.
“The trip to Barentsburg was just that, and then some.
“They had to drive across the snow for eight hours in heated snow suits before camping overnight surrounded by polar bears.
“Only Harry’s explorer friend Inge was with them for protection. He set up flares to scare off the predators.”
Harry and Meghan’s trip to the wilderness was another planned by Inge Solheim, who is known as The Ice Ninja and was part of Harry’s Walking With The Wounded group.
The two-day, 55km trek through - 12C degree cold saw the action-man royal arrive in desolate Barentsburg.
Once a busy mining town, it is now almost uninhabited apart from workers supplying coal for Russia’s state-owned Arktikugol Trust. It relies entirely on mainland Russia for food and cash.
As our photos show, the town is a long way from the luxury of Kensington Palace – but it was there the lovebirds spent time alone to cement their love.
Our source added: “Harry’s always on this quest for inner peace and it’s only in these silent spots he seems to find that. Allowing Meghan into that world was a huge love test.” she