Royal buzz: Moment bee takes a shine to Prince Charles and Camilla during visit to New Zealand eco-sanctutary

Sharing a joke: The royal couple shared a joke as Prince Charles held a a New Zealand tuatara
Gerard O'Brien/Reuters

Holding a skittish lizard and surrounded by photographers, it was not the best time for Prince Charles to attract the attentions of a giant bumblebee.

The heir to the throne was unable to hold back a yelp, almost dropping the young tuatara, as the unwanted admirer flew up his jacket.

But once the bee had buzzed off into the New Zealand sky, Charles and Camilla burst out laughing — with the Duchess of Cornwall saying she could not wait to see their faces in the photographs.

The royal couple were visiting the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, near Dunedin on the South Island, where conservation manager Elton Smith reassured them that the bee’s presence was “a good sign of a healthy eco-system”.

Beeline: Camilla brshed the insect away before it landed on her husband's jacket
Tim Rooke/Rex

The prince, speaking during the country’s Conservation Week, was full of praise for Orokonui and its tuatara, which has a 230 million-year ancestry.

He said: “We are facing a continuing disaster in terms of the loss of biodiversity, so it’s been a huge pleasure to have a brief moment to visit this sanctuary.

Admiration: The royal couple enjoyed holding the New Zealand reptile for the first time
Gerard O'Brien/Reuters

“It is a remarkable demonstration of what can be done, even on a relatively small scale, to restore a previously lost landscape and also to have the opportunity to reintroduce species which are so threatened everywhere else. I just want to say it was so splendid to be able to meet a tuatara.

Smiling: Prince Charles and Camilla laughed together as they enjoyed their visit 
Tim Rooke/Rex

“I believe that’s the last remaining member of the rhynchocephalia order, which is such an ancient creature. I would like to think that my grandchildren will also get the chance to see some of these remarkable creatures one day when they come here when they’re a little bit older.”

Earlier the prince, 66, tried on a pair of virtual reality goggles, which simulated racing on a speedboat and a catamaran, at a tour of Animation Research in Dunedin. The computer graphics production company has worked with a Formula One team to produce racing simulators for its drivers. After arriving in the city with Camilla by train, Charles went on a walkabout and got a kiss from Lesley Hayde, 69, one of thousands who had turned out to see them.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in