The Duchess, her tycoon friend and the rich man's playground complete with Beckham soccer school in an ecological idyll

Norwegian millionaire Torben Frantzen is planning a lavish "playground for the rich", including a soccer academy headed by David Beckham, on the untouched land, despite the vehement opposition of campaigners.

Sarah Ferguson - a close friend of both Mr Frantzen and his brother Geir, the boss of the Findus frozen food empire - has been giving developers advice on a polo centre to be built at the 3,500-acre site.

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However her involvement has been kept under wraps because, it is believed, she does not want to invite speculation about her relationship with Torben.

The Duchess has made three visits to Brazil with the 36-year-old businessman and has stayed at his luxurious home in Natal, a fashionable city 30 miles from the resort site.

Last month, a shirtless Beckham helped launch the £250million first phase of building - which will include eight football pitches, a 10,000-spectator stadium and a go-kart track - with a kickabout on the Brazilian beach. However no mention was made of the Duchess's involvement.

Simon Rees, chief executive of the family firm Frantzen Partners, said there has been no announcement because "Sarah Ferguson is not formally employed at this point in time".

He added: "She is only an adviser. We showed her the land to get some input from her and we are in discussions to see how we could work with her in regards to the polo and equestrian facilities, maybe as a spokeswoman."

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The developers are keen to emphasise the positive effects the resort will have on the area. It will create at least 1,500 new jobs in an impoverished region where most families survive on the fish they can catch.

Villagers have been promised a new hospital, and even fresh coats of paint for their shanties, and the Duchess is working with Mr Frantzen's company to set up a foundation to help local schools.

Despite this, protesters claim the development will destroy one of the last undeveloped stretches of coastline in the region.

The resort is on land that is part of a protected Unesco reserve, and is home to at least one endangered species, the hawksbill turtle.

The Natal coast is also the home of a recently discovered bird, the Caratinga antwren, and a rare lizard, the Natal pygmy gecko.

The prospect of the Duchess encouraging thousands of tourists to trample over the fragile ecosystem horrifies David Hassett, the honorary British consular agent for the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte, which includes the site.

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Mr Hassett told The Mail on Sunday: "I would urge the Duchess to look at this site with new eyes, not as a playground for the idle rich of Europe but as a very beautiful feature of our landscape that should be left for future generations rather than buried under tons of concrete, lawns, football pitches and golf courses.

"This resort is being built in the Atlantic Forest, an area of dunes, beaches, mangrove swamps, rivers and table forest which runs the length of Brazil's eastern coastline.

"It is considered to be one of the world's major biodiversity hotspots, with many thousands of unique species of flora and fauna.

"The coastline where this new project is planned is, for example, by far the most important nesting site for hawksbill turtles in Brazil."

The turtles are on the official "red list" of endangered species drawn up by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, whose vice-president is the Duke of Edinburgh.

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Mr Hassett added: 'Bearing in mind the Royal Family's long-standing respect for the environmental movement, I am surprised the Duchess is involved. I understand the dilemma, that there is a need to create jobs, but almost the whole coastline here is up for grabs by developers. The best places need to be preserved.'

The Duchess's spokesman Gerry Casanova said: 'She knows people involved in the resort and is happy to be supportive of it - but has no financial stake in it.'

Her relationship with the Frantzen brothers has been a matter of speculation since September, when she was photographed with Torben at his Natal mansion.

The tycoon and Prince Andrew's ex-wife stood on a balcony, gazing over the swimming pool, with their arms draped around each other's waists. They also sat next to each other on a wicker couch, chatting animatedly.

The Duchess, who has fretted that potential boyfriends are scared off by her strong personality, was subsequently spotted with the Norwegian at the Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.

"Fergie appears to enjoy hanging out with him," said one man who met her during her holiday at Mr Frantzen's home.

At the time, Mr Frantzen's spokesman said the pair were "just good friends" and that Mr Frantzen had a long-time girlfriend in Norway.

There were also reports that the 48-year-old Duchess and Britishbased Geir Frantzen, 40, had a "deepening" relationship.

She has attended several social engagements with the Findus owner - including a Spice Girls concert and the Ricky Hatton fight in Las Vegas.

A source close to the Duchess said that Geir has stayed at her Surrey home.

And the Norwegian Press reported that she arrived with Geir on his private jet to spend Christmas at Neverland, a remote Norwegian country home owned by the brothers.

"Geir and Torben Frantzen are wellknown for keeping a high profile," the report added.

"They like to party hard, drink champagne - and they share a predilection for exclusive cars. In London, Geir Frantzen drives a black Rolls-Royce Phantom."

Mr Rees said, however, that the Duchess was invited for Christmas by the entire Frantzen family.

"There is no romantic relationship with either brother. Geir and Torben and Sarah are very close friends who operate as a social group," he said.

"Sarah was invited as a guest of Torben, Geir and their parents to spend a few days in the family home at Christmas.

"The bottom line is we have had conversations with her to do with our Brazilian hotel and resort business, which is headed by Torben, and our food and health supplements business-which Geir runs. She has a great background to help us with both."

The new resort development is being supported by the Rio Grande do Norte governor, although some Brazilian officials share the environmentalists' concerns.

Antonio de Siqueira Cabral, coordinator for the local environmental agency said: "If the project is not done with care, it could destroy this area, which is very sensitive."

However, Mr Rees claimed the protesters are a minority. "The development from day one has interfaced with key environmental agencies, local government and Greenpeace," he said.

"We won't be building on the sand dunes and we will designate green belts." He added that the site of the polo ground, which protesters say is covered with vital vegetation, 'is actually scrubland'.

And David Beckham's spokesman Simon Oliveira said: "We did our own research and the resort follows the strictest environmental standards."

Additional reporting: Harold Emert