The Prince of Wales wobbled around as he was punted across a river while visiting floating farms in Mexico


The Prince of Wales found himself up a creek without a paddle when he visited a floating farm on the first day of the royal tour of Mexico.

Instead of sitting in the flat-bottomed boat of the farm on the outskirts of Mexico City, Prince Charles and a few members of his entourage had to stand precariously as they were punted across the water.

Charles laughed as the boat sailed across the murky waters to the floating farm, called a Chinampa, waving his arms up and down as he enjoyed the wobbly experience.

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Without a paddle: Prince Charles sees the funny side of rocking the boat as he is punted across to a floating farm in Mexico

Rock the boat: Charles waved his arms around, pretending to rock the boat as the Prince sailed across to a floating farm

Charles clambered aboard the flat-bottomed boat with a few members of his entourage as he visited the farms near Mexico City

Raking it in: Charles proved to be quite handy on the farm, mucking in with the locals as he raked the land

Charles visited the farms, or 'chinampas', without the Duchess of Cornwall during his tour of the Latin American nation

The journey was only a short one but Charles joked with his fellow passengers about the risks of rocking the boat.

When he reached the plot of land he found farmers at work planting spinach in immaculate rows.

Not one to shy away from working the land, Prince Charles, who started his Home Farm in the early 1980s, joined in with raking the soil and even planting spinaches.

The rectangular plot of land was surrounded on all sides by water and is part of an agricultural system created 800 years ago from reclaimed swamp land that covered much of the area in and around Mexico City.

The Chinampas have been lost over the decades to the urban development of Mexico's sprawling capital, but there are efforts to preserve the remaining sites whose produce - from tomatoes to radishes - are used to feed Mexico City.

Meanwhile the Duchess of Cornwall visited a human trafficking centre in the Mexican capital, meeting officials and stopping for a cup of tea.

The Duchess of Cornwall visited a human trafficking centre in the Mexican capital while Charles was out on the boat

Camilla, who was wearing a poppy, stopped to talk with officials at the Fundacion Camino A Casa as she visited today

Camilla, who was left in tears by a photo album earlier in the day, stopped to have a cup of tea while she visited

The royal couple also met Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife Angelica Rivera for an official ceremony

The Prince of Wales chatted to President Nieto during the sunny ceremony at the National Palace today

The royal couple also met with Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto and his wife Angelica Rivera for an official ceremony at the National Palace.

Earlier today Camilla was left in tears of laughter after being shown a photo album. Exactly what the album contained is unknown, although it is likely that the images showed Prince Charles during one of his earlier visits to Mexico.

The Duchess, who is famous for her sense of humour, was left chuckling after seeing her husband's attempt at a Mexican pasty - made during a visit to Real del Monte's pasty museum.

Fresh from a successful four-day tour of Colombia, Camilla and husband Prince Charles were making their first stop on the Mexican leg of their journey in a town famous for its links with Cornwall.

Entertaining: The Duchess of Cornwall burst into laughter after being shown this photo album

Tears of laughter: The Duchess of Cornwall was left in tears of laughter after being shown a photo album

Welling up: Quite which photo caused Camilla to cry with laughter remains unknown

Amusing: Camilla had spent the morning making a Mexican pasty which swaps meat and potatoes for tomatoes and chilli

How does that work then? Prince Charles gets entangled in his apron as the cooking session gets underway

Tasty: Prince Charles, who is also the Duke of Cornwall, reveals how much he loves his home county's baked goods

Although neither the Duchess nor Prince Charles are known for their cooking skills, both tried their hand at making Mexico's take on the Cornish pasty, which swaps meat and potatoes for tomatoes, spices and a dash of salsa verde.

Hundreds of Cornish miners travelled to the town to work in its silver mines during the 19th century, leaving a legacy that includes an appreciation for pasties and cream teas behind them.

But it was the Mexican version that left Camilla smiling during the demonstration, although the very British Duchess did toast her culinary efforts with a well-earned cup of tea.

As they each took a circular piece of pastry, Prince Charles asked cook and pasty expert Paulina Espinosa how much filling he should use, to which, in true Cornish style, she replied: 'As much as you can!'

Charles laughed as he put his effort down on the metal work surface but the Duchess of Cornwall spent longer perfecting hers and finally handed it over with a smile.

Speaking after waving the couple off, Ms Espinosa said: 'I think they did great - you do have to practice how to seal it. I don't know if it's the first time they did it but I think they did a great job and it looks like they had fun doing it, they really enjoyed themselves.'

As well as their mining expertise, the Cornishmen also brought football to central America, which their new friends in Mexico enthusiastically adopted as their own.

How much filling? Prince Charles was fascinated by the pasty making process and asked for tips on how much filling to use

Better cook: Camilla's neatly crimped pasty was the better of the two according to local chefs

Well-earned: The couple toast their pasty making efforts with a well-earned cup of tea

Celebrations: Charles and Camilla had arrived in Real de Monte in time to experience the country's famous Day of the Dead festivities

Remembrance: The Day of the Dead is a major event in the Mexican calendar when families pay tribute to loved ones who have died

Holiday: The Royal couple were greeted with women in eleaborate dresses who painted their faces to look like skulls, as above

Festivities: The Royal couple were greeted by a host of ghoulish figures as they flew in on the latest leg of their tour

Welcome committee: Hundreds of members of the public cheer for the Royal couple in Real de Monte on the first day of their tour

Tradition: Charles and Camilla joined celebrations in Real del Monte’s town centre where they saw traditional altars made to mark the occasion known as Olfrenda

Many, however, never made it home and the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall visited a cemetery where many of the men are buried as part of the colourful Day of the Dead celebrations.

The Day of the Dead, which sees women paint their faces as skulls, is a major event in the Mexican calendar when families remember loved ones who have died and celebrate them.

Hundreds of residents packed the town’s main square close to the cemetery where the royal couple admired a brightly-coloured shrine that had an enormous skull as its centrepiece.

There they posed for photos with women dressed as Catrinas - skull faced characters in elaborate gowns who have come to symbolise the festival, which is known as Dia de los Muertos in Mexican Spanish.

Festive feeling: The couple appeared to be enjoying the entertainment laid on for them in the town

Face to face: Chales and Camilla were treated to the macabre sight of women with their faces painted as skulls as they marked the religious festival

Musical interlude: The royal couple enjoy a performance from a band of local musicians

Central: The Catrinas have come to symbolise the festival known as Dia de los Muertos in Mexican Spanish

Cheery: Charles waves to the assembled crowds who had gathered to see the royal couple

Action: Charles and Camilla watch a dancer perform as they tour the Mexican town

Arrivals: The Prince and Duchess touch down in Mexico City for the sixth day of their tour, after leaving Columbia by aeroplane

Jet setters: The Prince and his wife descend the steps of the plane, looking eager to greet their welcoming party at the Benito Juárez airport

Royal duty: The Royal couple are in South America for a nine-day tour

Before they left the town, the royal couple visited a secondary school and helped launch a project to build a new football pitch by each digging a spade full of earth.

The new pitch - towards which Prince Charles has made a financial donation - is symbolic as the first game of football in Mexico was played near the town of Real del Monte.

Later the Prince and Duchess will receive an official welcome from Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the presidential palace in the capital, Mexico City.

And while Charles tours a unique agricultural area of Mexico which is famous for its unusual 'floating farms', Camilla will visit a safe house for victims of sex trafficking.

The Duchess of Cornwall and the Prince of Wales arrive at the Panteon Ingles, or the English Cemetery, in Real del Monte

Paying respects: The couple lay a wreath at the memorial of Private John Vial, a Mexican of Cornish descent who died at the battle of the Somme in 1916

Resting place: The couple, seen here with their translator Bridget Galsworthy, toured the cemetery where many of the Cornish minors and their families are buried

Poignant: The grave is the only known British First World War memorial in Mexico

Pausing for thought: The couple walk around the cemetery, looking at the gravestones

Bond: The couple's itinerary yesterday had their focus on the links between Britain and Mexico

Breaking new ground: The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall break ground on a new football pitch at the Escuela Publica Secundaria Magatzzi

Digging deep: The couple met footballers from local team Pachuca Football during their visit to the school

Team players: Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall are presented with personalised football shirts