Prince Charles and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall got a warm welcome when they arrived in a drizzly British Columbia.

About 2,000 people waited outside the Parliament building Friday evening for the royal couple, The Vancouver Sun reported. They clapped when the royal motorcade appeared.

Prince Charles spent three days in the Toronto area before moving on to British Columbia, where he is to stay for four days of his 11-day Canadian trip. The heir to the British throne is an old hand at official Canadian tours but this is his first with Camilla as his wife.

Earlier Friday, Charles and Camilla opened the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, where they spent much of their time wandering separately through the exhibits.

"I can't wait until I get home and tell my family, because no one would believe I shook his hand," Marilena Seroski from the Hamilton area said after meeting the prince at a pig exhibit.