Duchess Sophie comes face-to-face with huge bird-eating spider in Amazon jungle

Duchess Sophie encountered the formidable "king of spiders" during her visit to the Peruvian Amazon, displaying visible apprehension.

The royal brought her hand to her chest, mouth, and forehead while inspecting the Goliath birdeater – the world's largest tarantula – during a jungle trek.

Initially observing the colossal arachnid on a leaf held by an Amazonian guide, Sophie later took the leaf herself, peering intently at the creature.

Accompanied by guides Rey Mozombite and Daniel Macedo, she navigated the dense forests, also taking the opportunity to hold a green anaconda snake.

Her biodiversity walk included a stop at an enormous Oje tree, where she stood among its twisted buttress roots, gazing up at its towering trunk.

The Duchess of Edinburgh is currently undertaking a 10-day official visit to South and Central America.

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She is travelling to Peru, Panama and Guatemala at the request of the Foreign Office, and also to Belize – one of the King’s overseas realms.

The duchess, wearing a short-sleeved, white, floral blouse, green trousers and black wellies, also spotted a sloth resting in the trees as she made her way through the jungle.

She took out her mobile phone to take photos of the animal as it curled itself around the branches.

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The National Geographic describes the Goliath birdeater as the largest arachnid on the planet.

Dubbed “the king of spiders”, it can weight up to 170g with a leg span of nearly 30cm, but its venom is not lethal to humans, only to small creatures.

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It does not usually eat birds, only occasionally, preferring insects, frogs and rodents.