He has been here 16 times before but Charles, son of Elizabeth, has awoken under Australian skies for the first time as reigning monarch.

King Charles and Queen Camilla arrived in soggy conditions at Sydney Airport on Friday night, minutes after a drenching downpour ceased, to kickstart a delicately planned, rapid royal tour.

The 75-year-old sovereign and his wife are expected to rest on Saturday at a harbourside mansion to recover from the lengthy trip from Britain.

Rumours abound that the King could discreetly appear at Royal Randwick in time for one of the world’s most lucrative horse races, the $20 million Everest.

But officials have quashed speculation of a change to the carefully curated schedule of events.

The five-day trip is the first time a King of Australia has set foot on the nation’s shores, with Queen Elizabeth’s visit in 1954 the first by the reigning monarch.

She last visited in 2011, making the latest trip by King Charles – his first since ascending to the throne in 2022 – a delight for monarchists.

The whistlestop tour, pared back to account for the King’s health, will keep the royals busy with formal dinners, wreath laying, fleet inspecting and hand-shaking during their five-day tour of Sydney and Canberra.

The royal couple will meet privately with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie Haydon at Admiralty House on the banks of Sydney Harbour, prior to formally commencing their Australian tour on Sunday.

The prime minister and Ms Haydon were among a rare gathering of Australia’s most important people welcoming the royals as they touched down in Sydney about 8.40pm on Friday night.

Alongside the dignitaries, beaming a foot away from his family, a 12-year-old boy got his wish to meet the royals.

Ky offered a posy of waratahs to Queen Camilla and discussed the arrangement with Her Majesty before the royal couple stepped into a waiting vehicle.

Whether or not they peered right as they travelled over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, images of the royal couple stared back at them from the sails of the Sydney Opera House.

A four-minute looping photo montage, taking in the royals’ prior Australian trips, had been meant to kick off 30 minutes before the monarch arrived.

But the delayed departure of a cruise ship, coincidentally named Queen Elizabeth, held up the display until minutes before the royals sped through the city.

Members of the public will have multiple chances to glimpse Australia’s new monarch at iconic sites including the Australian War Memorial, federal parliament and the Sydney Opera House on Monday and Tuesday.

Republicans have tried to harness the tour for their own purposes.

“Monarchy: The Farewell Oz Tour” T-shirts, in the style of rock band merchandise and featuring caricatures of the King and Queen, headline their efforts to drum up support to say bye-bye to the royals.

King Charles has visited 15 times in an official capacity.

He also spent two terms at a remote boarding campus of Geelong Grammar as a teenager.

This post was originally published on Michael West.