It's ain't half hot, ma'am! Shirtless athletes meet Camilla and Prince Charles as they open Commonwealth Games

By Fay Schlesinger
Last updated at 8:03 AM on 4th October 2010

She may have looked a little hot under the collar.

But the Duchess of Cornwall can't entirely blame her blushes on the searing Indian sun.
Camilla appeared delighted to meet two toned athletes as they prepared for the Delhi Commonwealth Games yesterday.

'You guys look very fit,' the 63-year-old told the bare-chested decathlon competitors, gesturing towards their muscles.

Hot under the collar: Camilla told British athletes' that they looked 'very fit' ahead of the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

Tom Reynolds, a 25-year-old former Armani model who is competing for Northern Ireland, and Roger Skedd, who lives in Uxbridge, West London, but is representing Scotland, had removed their t-shirts as they trained in the 93f heat of the athletes' village.

Mr Skedd, 28, said: 'The Duchess came up to us and said: 'I see you are suitably dressed, gentlemen. How are you coping with the heat?"'

Not to be outdone, Prince Charles was greeted by the 16 members of the Australian ladies' hockey team  -  lined up in a swimming pool wearing mini shorts and cropped tops.

'If you lose, you can blame me for interrupting,' the Prince told them playfully.

Fancy a dip? Prince Charles joked with Australia's female hockey team as they relaxed in the pool

Perhaps the royal couple could have learned a thing or two from the dressed-down competitors, as the Duchess looked uncomfortably warm during her tour of the tournament complex.

Despite shielding herself from the sun with a white lace-trimmed parasol, she wore tights under her mint green tunic and beige trousers  -  possibly to cushion the blister she had complained of.

The Duchess's waistline appeared to have expanded a little despite a special meat and dairy-free diet at the £1,140-a-night South Indian health spa where she stayed with family and friends last week.

Colourful: Dancers perform during the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi

Charles, who wore his customary double-breasted grey suit, showed his ignorance of modern gadgets by asking one athlete whether her iPod music player was a device for monitoring her heart.

Australian 400m hurdles competitor Lauren Boden, 22, said: 'I just said I was listening to music. That's probably enough technology for him.'

Balloons: Performers sit in a cart as they take part in the action

Superstar: Oscar winner and Indian music composer A. R. Rehman, holding microphone, performs the theme song of Commonwealth Games

Royal approval: Prince Charles and Camilla replaced the Queen at the opening ceremony

With what is considered the world's biggest helium airship acting as a backdrop, entertainers perform during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games

Open for business: 60,000 people packed into the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium to watch the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony