The Duchess of Edinburgh has kicked off a 10-day tour of South and Central America, where she came face-to-face with the 'king of spiders' on a jungle trek in Peru

A nervous Duchess of Edinburgh came face-to-face with the 'king of spiders' as she ventured on a jungle trek. Sophie brought her hand to her chest as she tentatively inspected a Goliath birdeater - the biggest tarantula in the world – as she visited the Peruvian Amazon while on her tour of South and Central America.

The Duchess is currently on a 10-day tour of the region visiting Peru, Panama and Guatemala at the request of the Foreign Office, and also to Belize – one of the King’s overseas realms. Sophie explored the dense forests with two guides and also took the opportunity to hold a green anaconda snake as well as crad

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