Prince Charles 'the winged hero'

Prince Charles was "deeply touched" by the statue

A giant bronze statue of Prince Charles as a winged hero "saving the world" is to become the centrepiece of a remote Amazonian town.

The Prince was presented with a model of the sculpture, which shows him with bulging muscles, pinned back ears and only a loin cloth to protect his modesty.

During his visit to Tocantins state in central Brazil the Prince was told the full size piece would be erected in a square named in his honour in the main town of Palmas.

Charles retains a full head of hair in the statue

Charles arrived in Tocantins from Rio, where he showed his appreciation for Brazilian culture by doing the Samba with street dancers and playing football with children at a community centre.

Artist Mauricio Bentes moulded the statue of his 53-year-old subject using pictures downloaded from the internet.

Apart from the angel-like wings and muscular physique he also gave Prince Charles a full head of hair. At his feet are human bodies, one of whom is drinking a bottle of wine.

Piranha-infested

Accepting the scale model of Mr Bentes' work the Prince said he was "amazed" and "deeply touched".

Explaining its significance, Tacantins state governor Jose Wilson Sequeira Campos said: "It is Prince Charles saving the world".

Charles, dressed for the trip in a khaki safari shirt, is in the region for a visit to a global warming station.

The Cangacu research station consists of thatched wooden buildings perched on stilts in a swamp.

The prince impressed the crowd with his football skills

The royal party got there by taking a plane from Rio to Palmas, followed by a helicopter and then a motor launch along the piranha-infested Javaes River.

The Prince was welcomed to the area by Karaja Indians, who performed a traditional dance and presented him with gifts of a hunting club and a beaded garland.

In Rio scantily clad dancers persuaded Charles to join them in a quick samba routine.

Football

Obligingly the Prince held hands with Joana D'Arc, 30, and Patricia Lima, 21, as music blasted from speakers a few feet away.

He later joked: "I was grabbed by those girls outside and made to do the samba just now. I don't think I'm properly dressed for it. I'm too hot."

During his visit to the ActionAid community centre in the Baixada Fluminense slum, which has the highest population density in Latin America, he also kicked the first ball in a five-a-side football match.

Josiane da Silva Rocha, 15, said the Prince's strike was easy to save: "He was on target but it was not a very hard shot."

On Tuesday the Prince is due to continue his Latin America tour by visiting a port in Veracruz in Mexico.