Royals Face Off with Giant Spiders: Kate Charmed, Sophie Hesitant

Two years ago, in 2021, the Princess of Wales (then known as the Duchess of Cambridge) displayed a charming reaction when she met a large tarantula during a royal visit to Northern Ireland. The arachnid, named Charlotte, seemed to delight the princess, as the name matched that of her own daughter.

Fast forward to the present day, and another royal has had a very different encounter with a giant spider. Last month, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, visited the Amazon rainforest in Peru as part of her official duties. There, she came face-to-face with a Goliath bird-eating spider, the largest tarantula species in the world. Photos show Sophie visibly hesitant, touching her forehead and cheek as she inspected the massive arachnid.

Interestingly, the Duchess of Edinburgh's young niece, Princess Charlotte, has previously expressed an interest in spiders. In a 2020 video, the then-5-year-old asked renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough if he liked spiders too, revealing her own fascination with the creatures.