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Duchess visibly scared by world’s largest spider

The Goliath birdeater was resting on a leaf held by an Amazon guide (Aaron Chown/PA)
The Goliath birdeater was resting on a leaf held by an Amazon guide (Aaron Chown/PA) (PA Wire)
  • Duchess Sophie encountered a Goliath birdeater, the world's largest tarantula, during a jungle trek in the Peruvian Amazon.
  • Initially showing apprehension, the Duchess later held the leaf containing the arachnid, described as the “king of spiders” with a leg span of nearly 30cm.
  • During her biodiversity walk, Sophie also held a green anaconda snake and photographed a sloth resting in the trees.
  • She visited an enormous Oje tree, standing among its twisted buttress roots and observing its towering trunk.
  • These encounters were part of her 10-day official visit to South and Central America, including Peru, Panama, Guatemala, and Belize, at the request of the Foreign Office.
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