Prince Charles sambas in the Rio sun

The Prince of Wales had a taste of Rio de Janeiro's carnival today when he joined street dancers in a spot of samba.

Charles met the scantily clad group outside a community centre in a favela, or slum neighbourhood, of the Brazilian city.

Wearing a dark suit, the Prince was flanked by Joana D'Arc, 30, and Patricia Lima, 21, who each held a royal hand aloft and skipped around in a circle.

Ms D'Arc, in a flamboyant amber-coloured feathered headdress and shimmering bikini, said later: "He's a very good dancer."

The Prince later asked a group of youngsters about their favourite type of music. When he heard it was samba, he said: "I was grabbed by these girls outside and made to do the samba just now.

"I don't think I'm properly dressed for it. I'm too hot."

The Prince was visiting Casa da Cultura, a centre run by the charity ActionAid in the Baixada Fluminense slum on the outskirts of Rio. The shanty town has the highest population density in Latin America and Brazilians living in the area suffer from poor health and education facilities, and high levels of violence and crime.

During his tour of the centre, which provides extra-curricular classes in sports, dance and theatre to draw children away from the drug trafficking and violence on the streets, the Prince also found himself kicking a ball with young footballers and visiting classrooms.