Princes on biking adventure for charity

Britain’s Prince William and Prince Harry set off Saturday on a grueling 1,000-mile motorcycle rally in South Africa to raise money for charity.

The pair joked that they had a wager on who would tumble from his bike the most during the eight-day off-road adventure.

“It’s going to be very challenging and we’re expecting to fall off many a time,” said Harry, 24, before more than 80 riders set off for the city of Port Elizabeth from the holiday resort of Port Edward on South Africa’s southeast coast.

William, 26, who next year will begin training to be a Royal Air Force search and rescue helicopter pilot, said he and his brother had decided to participate in the Enduro Africa 2008 “because it’s a mixture of adventure and charity.”

Funds raised through the princes’ participation in the motorcycle challenge will be divided among UNICEF, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund and Sentebale, a charity established by Harry to help disadvantaged children in Lesotho.

Harry, an officer in the Household Cavalry regiment, said he was looking forward to spending some rare time with his brother as they ride along the scenic Eastern Cape.

Both ride high performance motorbikes in Britain.