Ripe mangoes and reggae for Charles and Camilla

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla toured Brixton market today, trailed by hundreds of locals.

Shoppers and stall owners were amazed as the royal couple stopped to discuss vegetables, meat and clothes on sale.

Hairdresser Vivian Alle, 40, said: "Charles asked me lots of questions about how I was. I fell in love with him straight away. He's not proud — some people wouldn't come to Brixton."

Fruit seller Derek Chong, 50, gave the Duchess of Cornwall a box of 10 mangoes in a reusable hessian bag. He said: "She asked me what was good, so I told her the mangoes were ripe and gave her a box."

Part of the market, Brixton Village, formerly Granville Arcade, was granted listed status this year in recognition of its cultural and historical value, particularly to the post-war African-Caribbean community.

Recently young designers and artists have joined halal butchers and vegetable sellers there.

Charles last visited Brixton in 1996 with Nelson Mandela, when he did a much shorter tour of the market.

Today stall owners handed the prince a leaflet about The Brixton Pound, a local currency developed by traders to encourage shoppers to keep their money in the area.

The royal couple went on to visit the nearby Railway Hotel, a Victorian pub that used to be known as Brady's and has stood empty for 11 years.

Charles's charity The Prince's Regeneration Trust has submitted proposals to Lambeth council to refurbish the building, where Jimmy Hendrix and the Pogues once played.

The trust hopes to transform it into a new community and business centre and has already secured £2 million of funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government.