Sinus problem stops Duchess from seeing Charles dance routine

The crowds that had come out to see their royal visitor were entertained by of performers dressed in traditional costumes. And when the Prince, who is on a tour with the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived he quickly joined their number, taking the stance of the men with his left arm behind his back and waving the piece of cloth above his head with the other hand.

Charles laughed as he performed the movements and looked a little relieved when the dance finally came to an end.

Earlier that day he compared himself to one of Mexico’s ancient monuments as he posed for a picture at the centuries-old Edzna Maya archaeological site, joking “one old ruin in front of another”.

The Duchess of Cornwall, had cancelled all her engagements on the penultimate day of the couple’s Mexican tour because of a sinus problem. The heir to the throne commented briefly about his wife, pointing to his ear and saying, “sinus, such bad luck’’.

Edzna is believed to have been inhabited by the Maya people from around 400BC to the 15th century, when some unknown calamity or crucial environmental problem saw it abandoned.

The sophisticated settlement has features of a modern city such as an expert drainage system and rainwater collection scheme. Alfredo Euan Xool, a Mexican of Maya descent, met Charles at the site’s enormous plaza and in the shadow of the main building the Great Acropolis, which has five storeys and a row of steep steps leading to the top.