Prince Harry has a reputation for wearing his heart on his sleeve.

But still it came as a surprise when he said that he came close to tears when he met orphaned Brazilian children in a deprived area of São Paulo yesterday, and added that his own experience of losing his mother was 'far removed' form what they had been through.

"I was completely overwhelmed and shocked," he told members of the press. "I've never blubbed in public as far as I can remember but I was pretty damn close. It was amazing to hear those stories.

"There are two little girls -- I'm quite emotional -- just looking at them. I wanted to talk about my own experiences, but there is no point because it is just so far removed."

Harry, who played football with the kids while wearing a Brazil shirt, said, "The bravery of them looking at me, smiling at me. ... I wanted to use my own experiences in a very small way, to try to give them a bit of understanding about the fact, [that I saw what they] are going through.

"It seems ridiculous for me to say to these kids how lucky and fortunate they are considering their situation. Obviously they are far from that. But I am only too aware by listening to their stories how many other kids there are like this that aren't as fortunate as them.

"They have been able to be reunited with other members of their families. What this place is doing is reuniting children as young as eight years old.

One of these kids here was five days old – born at eight months – when he was left on the street by his mother because she was on crack."