Prince Harry given rapturous greeting in Rio
Prince Harry was given a raptuous welcome when he arrived at a mountain-top favela in Rio de Janeiro but among the hundreds of well-wishers he clearly had a favourite new friend.
The delight at his arrival was clear and little girls clung to his hands as smiling boys clustered around him in Complexo do Alemao, a shanty town in the gritty north of the city.
But the prince took a particular shine to threeyear-old Mayara Pereira and he posed for numerous photographs while carrying the cute little girl, who wore pink butterfly clips in her hair, around in his arms.the welcoming party included a children's choir and which performed a song about the 'need to have fun, play and they can change the world.'
Afterwards the children from the Coral Liga dos Cantates choir clambered around the prince, 27, as he went down on one knee to chat to the youngsters.
Choir member Eduardo Miranda, 9, said: 'I have never seen anyone so white with so many freckles. He was really gorgeous and everyone wants to be a princess.' Others asked him when he was going to come back and visit again.
Around 500,000 people are crammed into the area and the prince would have looked down on to the corrugated iron roofs of the town as he took the 20 minute cable car journey above some of Rio's poorest districts. Inside a special project set up to improve the lives of local people through health, education, the prince watched as other youngsters in the center washed their teeth and sat down to see an art project with others.
One girl caught his eye as she held onto his hand and took a snap, with the distinguished guest playfully blowing a raspberry at her as she did.
Thiciane, aged nine, said: 'He is a really nice guy. He asked me if I was having fun and I said yes. This is a really special day in my life.'
Choir member Eduardo Miranda, 9, said: 'I have never seen anyone so white with so many freckles. He was really gorgeous and everyone wants to be a princess
(Daily Mail, London)