Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrived in Canberra among decidedly British weather conditions.
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With the temperature dropping to a chilly 16 degrees and a light drizzle descending as the plane arrived from Sydney, the Royal couple were handed umbrellas as they alighted from their Boeing 737 business jet, flown by the Royal Australian Air Force 34 squadron, shortly before 10.30am.
The Duchess of Cornwall was given a clear plastic brolly to protect her black suit, black and cream hat and cream pashmina from the rain.
Governor-General Peter Cosgrove meanwhile stoically waved away an offer of an umbrella to brave the elements. "No I'm alright thanks, I don't need one," he said to an official minder, before standing at the bottom of the steps and throwing his arms open in welcome.
The Governor-General then formally introduced the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and wife Lucy, deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek and her mum Rose, and the Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Michael Thawley.
The deputy Labor leader's mum Mrs Plibersek shared the longest conversation and a hearty laugh with Prince Charles after introductions were made.
Formalities were brief and the Royal couple were ushered into their waiting motorcade, which, after a brief hold-up on the tarmac, was waved through RAAF Fairbairn security gates to make its way to the War Memorial.
It was a decidedly more "blokey" welcome to Canberra compared to the royal couple's previous visit in November 2012.
Back then, when the Duchess of Cornwall to Australia was formally introduced to Australia, it was under a female Governor-General Quentin Bryce, a female Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a female ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher.
Even the speaker of the House of Representatives, who often plays a role in royal visit protocols, was a woman - Anna Bourke.
This time these positions were all filled by men. But they will at least meet Snuffle, the much-lauded truffle seeking cocker spaniel, who is set to guide the couple through a truffle hunt later in the afternoon. She's a girl.
Cooking with truffles, planting trees at the arboretum, observing Remembrance Day, touring the National Museum and meeting politicians are all scheduled events for Charles and Camilla during their busy day in the capital on Wednesday.
Their Canberra stop-over is part of a 12-day tour of Australia and New Zealand from November 4 to 15.
