Prince Harry to visit Brazil in March

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Prince Harry will visit Brazil in March to promote British culture and exports at an event atop Rio de Janeiro's landmark Sugarloaf mountain, the foreign secretary said on Thursday.

The event is part of a new marketing campaign known as "Great" to promote Britain's industrial, cultural and other achievements around the world, British Embassy and Foreign Ministry officials told reporters in Rio de Janeiro.

The 27-year-old prince, who served briefly in Afghanistan four years ago in the army and trained to pilot Apache attack helicopters, is the youngest son of heir to the throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.

The announcement was made during a visit by Foreign Secretary William Hague to Brazil to improve diplomatic and trade ties with Latin America's largest country and economic powerhouse.

These ties suffered from "neglect" in recent years, Hague said after a seminar with diplomats and academics about the "Arab Spring" uprisings in Libya, Egypt, Syria and other Middle Eastern nations at Brazilian Foreign Ministry offices in Rio.

"British retreat from Latin America is over," Hague said.

(Reporting by Jeb Blount; Editing by Bill Trott)