Charles is king of the jungle as he takes aim at blowpipe target

The Prince of Wales was king of the jungle when he was taught the art of hunting with a blowpipe - and was hailed a natural.

Charles got to grips with the ancient weapon when, with the Duchess of Cornwall, he visited a "living village" in Malaysia, showcasing the lifestyles and customs of Borneo tribes.

Normally loaded with a poison dart, the weapon is used by the Penan people and others to hunt everything from wild boar and lizards to monkeys.

But for Charles the deadly substance was not used and he happily got to grips with the five-foot long blowpipe, following a demonstration at Sarawak Cultural Village near Kuching on the island of Borneo.

When it was propped up on a stand Charles laughed and said: "You're allowed to put that up? But that's cheating."

Camilla gave her husband a few words of encouragement, telling him "don't suck", and he replied: "I'll just close one eye," as he looked down the barrel of the pipe.

A few cries of encouragement and applause went up from Charles' entourage when the first dart hit just below a five-inch (13cm) wide target painted with a bulls-eye some eight metres away.

Charles turned to Kubai Uat, 33, a blowpipe expert, and asked for "one more, I was just getting the range", before puffing out his cheeks again for another go, but his effort fell well short of the target.

"Not right that one," he said, and before leaving joked with Mr Uat, who was wearing a large loin cloth: "You lie in bed at night and practise?"

Mr Uat said later: "For a beginner it was a good effort, the target is very small and if he can get that close he can hit a wild boar."