IT was hardly the crown jewels, but the Duchess of Cornwall was clearly delighted when presented with a simply daisy chain at Richmond today.
Camilla and Charles, the Prince of Wales, wowed the crowds in the historic southern Tasmanian town shortly after touching down at Hobart airport about noon.
Gallery: Royal visit
Tasmania Police Inspector Glen Woolley said about 8000 people turned out to welcome them.
Many started lining the streets early, including 92-year-old Audrey Johnston from Lauderdale.
It's the second time Mrs Johnston has met Prince Charles.
She arrived at 9.30am in the hope of scoring poll position to wish the couple "a happy life".
Their royal highnesses kicked off the tour with a visit to The Woodcraft Shop.
Woodturner Darryl Freestone was excited to show the couple his work.
He said AFL coach Mick Malthouse was the only other famous person he had met.
The prince was impressed by a 2500-year-old slab of Huon pine, marked with important dates like the signing of the Magna Carta and the Battle of Hastings.
The walk along Bridge and Edward streets took longer than officials had planned, with Charles and Camilla happily shaking hands and greeting locals.
People proudly waved Tasmanian flags, many chanting "Charlie, Charlie!" as the prince approached.
One lady gushed that the Duchess of Cornwall "looked a million dollars".
Inside the Richmond Arms Hotel, Charles had a schooner of Cascade Draught while meeting with local farmers and agricultural scientists. Camilla was content with a glass of water.
The build-up was too much for one little girl, who'd lined up early in a tiara.
By the time the royals stopped to greet her mum, she was fast asleep in her pram.
Local schoolchildren were among those who turned out for their first glimpse of the royal family in real life, while others proudly admitted it was their second and third sighting.
Eighty-one-year-old Dulcie White can remember greeting the prince at Hobart airport, back when he still had "a full head of black hair".
Irene Brown, 72, from Lauderdale, proudly showed Charles the front page of a newspaper bearing both their images from his visit to Sydney in January 1994.
Veteran media royal watchers said it was one of the longest public walks they've known the royals to take, lasting more than an hour.
Their visit to Richmond ended with a tree planting at St Luke's Anglican Church, to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
The sun was out as they arrived, but patchy rain didn't dampen spirits. The couple left just before a major downpour hit crowds still lining the streets.
The Duchess of Cornwall's warmth and good humour was later on show at a luncheon hosted by Premier Lara Giddings at the historic Mill House in Richmond, one of the area's most prominent homes.
About 50 women from rural groups including Tasmanian Women in Agriculture, the CWA and Rural Help at Hand met Camilla in a marquee in the magnificent grounds of the 1856 residence.
Arriving in the rain, the Duchess greeted every guest and joked about the weather.
She also met the owners of the Mill House, George and Heather Vozar, and two of their daughters.
The Mill House -- next to Australia's oldest bridge that's still in use today -- was originally built as a steam-powered flour mill.
Renowned Tasmanian landscape painter John Eldershaw, whose work is part of the royal family's private collection, owned the property from 1920.
The current owners have extensively restored the home and garden.
Read more about the royal visit in tomorrow's Mercury.
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