The Duchess of Cornwall has said she and the Prince of Wales still have “a snap in our celery” despite being in their 70s.

Camilla made the comments on the flight home from the Middle East, where she and Charles spent four days celebrating the culture, heritage and achievements of Jordan and Egypt.

The duchess described this week’s trip as “quite tough”, with royal tours conducted on behalf of the government usually featuring busy schedules and covering thousands of miles.

She said the highlight of the pair’s trip to the Middle East was their visit to the site near the River Jordan where John the Baptist was said to have baptised Jesus, describing it as a “spiritual” moment.

Speaking on Voyager, the ministerial jet, before it landed on Friday, she said of the Middle East tour: “It was quite tough, we were driving a lot and it was pretty bumpy.”

A remarking on her previous visit to Egypt with Charles, soon after they married, she added: “But afterwards I think, OK, 16 years ago, I’m a lot older now, well into my 70s but to quote Richard Ingram, ‘we’ve still got a snap in our celery’.”

Following their 2005 marriage, the duchess has travelled on trips to spots across the world including Colombia and the Galapagos Islands to Jamaica, Mexico and New Zealand in support of the UK.

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On Thursday she and Charles toured the pyramids at Giza, on the outskirts of Cairo, and also posed for pictures in front of the Sphinx.

She added: “We are not on holiday, we might be dressed up and photographed against the pyramids like tourists but we are not on holiday. We are working for the government and country and we are trying to make a difference.”

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And commenting on their visit to the baptism site of Christ in Jordan, the duchess said: “It was extraordinary, something you read about. To actually go down there and experience it – it was really quite spiritual.”

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