Prince Charles chats with with Defence Force personnel on the Admiral's Barge. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Daily Telegraph
Prince Charles the Duchess of Cornwall travel across Sydney Harbour from Admiralty House on the Admiral's Barge. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Daily Telegraph
Prince Charles and Camilla travel across Sydney Harbour from Admiralty House on the Admiral's Barge. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Daily Telegraph
Prince Charles and Camilla travel across Sydney Harbour from Admiralty House on the Admiral's Barge. Picture: Rohan Kelly Source: The Daily Telegraph
Prince Charles was forced to take refuge from the rain. Picture: Vikki Campion Source: The Daily Telegraph
PRINCE Charles braved the rain but stopped short of hugging a baby in Bondi today.
During a freak storm, the future of King of England shook hands with hundreds of onlookers who braved the foul weather to greet him.
A young girl gave Prince Charles a teddy bear, but when a mother offered him her young baby he stopped short and told he had to "rush''.
He then turned, remarking "cuddling babies'' and laughed before walking away.
"I grew up with God Save the Queen,'' Bondi resident Michelle Mekler-Peled said,
"We came down at 12 and watched the black clouds roll in closer and closer and saw the lightning bolts come down. But he shook my hand so it was worth it,'' she said.
"It was so exciting. He's the future king''.
The royal couple were probably expecting snags and sunshine as Sydney heads towards a sweltering summer but Prince Charles and Camilla have been dogged by bad weather during their Australian trip.
The royal pair were forced to take refuge from a snap storm that bedraggled Bondi beach as Hobart - the couple's most recent destination - was hit by wet weather and a tornado.
The Prince of Wales pulled up in a car at the back of the Bondi Pavilion in the midst of the storm shortly before 2pm, having just enjoyed a meal nearby at trendy lunch spot Icebergs.
Much of the media pack were caught out by the storm, with drenched reporters and camera crews searching the boardwalk for a spot of shelter.
Some members of the public braved the inclement weather to catch a glimpse of the royal couple, huddling under umbrellas alongside scantily-clad beachgoers and ignoring the severe weather warning.
Charles was to watch a demonstration of an NRL program for indigenous kids, and the storm clouds cleared on cue as Charles walked down to the beach to watch a footy match on the sand.
On the concrete wall above him hung the sign "say G'day to Betty for me", along with a string of British flags.
Behind the prince, surfers kept catching waves, unfazed by the fuss onshore as hundreds of people cheered and clapped.
"Charlie, Charlie," locals screamed, as the crowd swelled to more than a thousand.
The prince, flushed from all the fuss, stopped to talk to them, shaking hands and getting his photo taken.
'I didn't realise you were real'
But they haven't let it cramp their style - visiting Sydney Harbor and Prince Charles enjoying an unreal moment with a fashion model at the Museum of Contemporary Art today.
There to support The Campaign For Wool, the prince couldn't help but be distracted by live models displaying garnets by some of Australia's top fashion designers.
Model Bec Bisset - wearing an Akira Isogawa design and holding a toy sheep - caught the Prince's eye and he even took a detour to speak with her.
"He said, 'I didn't realise you were real' - he thought I was a mannequin," she said.
"But I said, 'The sheep isn't real'.
"He asked me about my clothes, whether they were warm and comfortable and he also asked who designed them."
Prince Charles himself was dressed in a navy suit made of Australian merino wool from Tasmania and designed by tailors Anderson and Sheppard in the UK.
The Campaign For Wool was launched globally on Australia Day 2010 in an effort to support struggling farmers.
Today, Prince Charles was greeted with an enthusiastic crowd and a cheeky message from the P&O cruise ship moored in Circular Quay right outside the MCA.
The large banner declared "Royal Suite Available".
As part of his visit, the prince met with designers Josh Goot, Dion Lee, Kym Ellery, Camilla Freeman-Topper and Isogawa.
Southern Highlands Christian School student Brooke Pearce won a meet and greet with Prince Charles thanks to her own fashion design using Australian wool.
"He was pretty casual so it made it a lot easier on me - I was so scared," she said.
"When he came up he was quite calm so that made me calm."
Their trip came after a group of Sydneysiders met the pair on the Harbor.
Victoria Crabtree, 19, from Potts Point was waiting from 8.30am for this "once in a lifetime" experience.
"I'm from England and I thought his would be a on e in a lifetime opportunity to see the royals," she said.
"My grandmother was a bit of a royalist so I grew up with it. I'm not but because my family can't be here I'm going to take a few snaps for my mum."
Camilla walked off the barge in an elegant cream dress and wide brimmed straw hat and when asked about her trip she said she was "loving it."
"It's a very beautiful country, very warm people. We've had a beautiful welcome,"she said "Apart from losing my voice - too much talking," she joked.
Emilia Grzeskiewicz was thrilled that Camilla stopped for a photo.
"I was surprised she stopped, we saw them walking down the middle of the path and assumed we wouldn't get to talk to them, but she met people at the barrier," she said.
"It was very exciting, you don't get to meet a royal every day."
Charles wore a navy pinstriped suit and was also happy to chat to well wishers Erin Clarke, seaman, talked to the prince about her job.
"He asked if I was based at Cuttle and do you go to sea much and I told him I'd been to sea and he said do you see your family, she said. "I was happy that he stopped and chatted to me."
After greeting the crowd, the royal couple were then welcomed by the Chief of the Defence Force General David Hurley.
His Royal highness received a royal salute with musical honours before he inspected he Guard of Honour and the navy band.
The royal couple touched down at Sydney Airport last night and the rain stopped just in time for them to have a quick chat with Governor Marie Bashir and Premier Barry O'Farrell before dashing off to their awaiting car.
Prince Charles was dressed in a smart grey pin-striped suit with a poppy in his lapel.
Camilla, wearing a camel trench coat, looked a little tired after the couple's busy day in Tasmania. After watching sheep run about in Hobart yesterday morning, the royal couple will spend today taking in the beauty of the Harbour and beaches.
The couple will then split up to make the most of their only day in Sydney.
Prince Charles will head to the Museum of Contemporary Art to show his support for the The Campaign for Wool and introduce himself to some of Australia's best fashion designers in Dion Lee, Josh Goot and Akira Isogawa. The prince is the international patron for wool and a dapper dresser, so he will no doubt be keen to exchange style notes.
He will then move on to Bondi Icebergs for a chat with lifeguards, emergency workers and Mr O'Farrell.
The public will have a chance to see Charles in action when he hits the sand for a touch football match with NRL stars and indigenous students.
Meanwhile, Camilla will be appointed as the colonel-in-chief of the Royal Australian Corps of Military Police in a ceremony at Victoria Barracks in Paddington.
She will also host the Women of the World reception at Government House in the afternoon.
The couple's itinerary gives them time for a quick nap and a costume change before they visit the Sydney Opera House for the Diamond Jubilee Reception, hosted by Ms Bashir. And finally, Governor-General Quentin Bryce will host a dinner for the royals at Admiralty House in Kirribilli where the couple will spend the night before flying to Canberra tomorrow.
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