The Prince of Wales appeared taken with a prickly little pal during the first day of his visit to Northern Ireland.

Felix the hedgehog has seen a significant change in luck after growing very thin and ill with lungworm.

He is now back to a healthy weight and looking forward to being released back into the wild – even after befriending the heir to the throne.

Felix is one of the latest charges of Andrea Cowan, who runs Loughgall Hedgehog Rescue in Armagh.

The charity, which she initially set up in a shed at the back of her house, has rescued 300-400 hedgehogs, which are classified as vulnerable to extinction in the UK.

Hers was one of the organisations Charles met during a visit to Lissan House, close to Cookstown, Co Tyrone, on Tuesday.

He also met Jill, one of the hedgehogs too seriously injured to return to the wild

She was maimed by a strimmer, losing one leg and her sight.

Ms Cowan said: “Jill needs constant care but she is still active and gets round her garden. The prince was very interested to hear about her, he is very interested in wildlife and hedgehogs because they are in such plight.

“He (Charles) was very interested in what had happened to her, how it had happened and how she could be cared for.

“It was wonderful to talk to him because he was genuinely interested in anything to do with wildlife.”