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Duchess of Edinburgh Braves ‘King of Spiders’ on Amazon Biodiversity Trek

Requested by the Foreign Office, the tour spotlights conservation outreach with a focus on indigenous leadership.

Overview

  • During a guided nature walk in the Peruvian Amazon, Sophie closely inspected a Goliath birdeater tarantula and was photographed handling the leaf it rested on.
  • She also held a green anaconda and paused to photograph a sloth, underscoring the trip’s hands-on conservation focus.
  • The 10-day itinerary runs to November 19 across Peru, Panama, Guatemala and Belize at the request of the UK Foreign Office.
  • Early engagements in Peru included meetings with women from the Awajun, Shipibo-Konibo and Kukama Kukamiria communities on leadership, governance and women’s rights.
  • She marked the UK’s first year of a biodiverse landscape programme for the Andes and Amazon and toured the historic BAP America at the Iquitos Naval Base.