Sydneysiders in their thousands have greeted the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall with cheers in the city's Martin Place.
The couple entered the CBD thoroughfare with Premier Mike Baird to a sea of people waving Australian flags, eager to speak to them.
Ruth Lee told AAP she didn't know how much longer the monarchy would last but wanted the chance to see the royals.
"I've seen them ever since I was a little kid. I've seen Queen Elizabeth and then Prince Charles, then Prince William, so I've seen them all except the little ones," she said.
"We don't know how long the monarchy will last but they're part of my cultural history."
Daphne Dunne said she had met Prince Charles a few times, including in Canberra 30 years ago, but this time enjoyed the opportunity to speak to both the prince and duchess.
"He said 'oh I remember' and I said 'oh well I suppose you would remember to a certain extent," she told AAP.
"I asked Camilla if she was enjoying it and she said she was getting very tired."
Maria Felea waited two hours and was rewarded with the chance to shake hands with Prince Charles.
"I wished him a happy birthday (for Saturday). I told him my birthday is the same date," she told AAP.
The Duchess also took the opportunity to greet the waiting media.
"I just wanted to say 'how do you do' to you too," she told AAP.
The royal couple earlier toured the NSW Mounted Police barracks to mark 190 years of the oldest continuous mounted police unit in the world.
Joined by NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione and Police Minister Troy Grant, the group was treated to a display of mounted troop drills, crowd control and an arrest display during a performance led by Sergeant Karen Owen.
With 32 years of experience, she is the longest-serving female mounted police officer in NSW.
Members of the Riding for the Disabled Association also put on a display before the prince and duchess signed the guest book.
The Duchess then made her way to OzHarvest while Prince Charles arrived at Macquarie Group for a series of talks with firefighters, police and Red Cross nurses about mental health after disasters like the Lindt cafe siege, shootings and bushfires.
The Prince was greeted by former Australian defence force chief Sir Angus Houston and Prince's Charities Australia chief executive Janine Kirk.
