It was a heart-stopping moment that could have had painful consequences for the Prince of Wales. Prince Charles yelped with fright as he had an uncomfortably close encounter with a bumble bee on his tour of New Zealand with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall. The insect - which packs a painful sting - made a beeline for the heir to the throne and flew up his double-breasted jacket during a visit to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, near Dunedin.
It was a heart-stopping moment that could have had painful consequences for the Prince of Wales.
Prince Charles yelped with fright as he had an uncomfortably close encounter with a bumble bee on his tour of New Zealand with Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
The insect - which packs apainful sting - made a beeline for the heir to the throne and flew up his double-breasted jacket during a visit to the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, near Dunedin.
The Prince yelped in fright and tried to dislodge the insect as a dozen photographers, journalists and cameramen watched his predicament
It might have felt like an eternity to Charles, but after a short time the bee emerged and flew away to his very visible relief - before the royal couple and their large entourage roared with laughter.
Charles tries to keep the tuatara from escaping. Photo / Getty Images
The pair had been engrossed by seeing a New Zealand tuatara reptile - which has a 230 million year ancestry - when the bumble bee came a little too close.
As they sat on a bench with Charles gently holding the creature in both hands, the bumble bee flew at Camilla, who brushed it away - but it then flew at her husband.
Camilla cracks up during the royal visit. Photo / Getty Images
Elton Smith, the sanctuary's conservation manager, who had shown the tuatara to the Prince and Duchess joked about the bee, saying: "That's a good sign of a healthy eco-system."
Earlier, Camilla received an unusual literary gift which is believed to be a first - a parking machine ticket printed with a poem.
She was invited to collect her unique present from a machine called a Poetik when she attended a literary reception at the University of Otago in Dunedin.
Clown prince: Charles and Camilla laugh off their mishap. Photo / Getty Images
Inventor Ben Alder said the idea was to give people a "bit of culture" when parking their car.
The Duchess - whose poem began "Thus lightly but with passion shall I hold you as gravity" - thought it was a great idea. "I would love that idea passed on to Britain," she said.
Camilla was welcomed by Chancellor John Ward, whose university has nearly 20,000 students.
Dunedin was declared a Unesco city of literature last year and is proud of its cultural past, which is firmly anchored to the city's Scottish traditions.
