Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived in Montreal on Tuesday afternoon as part of their 11-day whirlwind Canadian tour.
The Prince of Wales has not visited Quebec since 1976, when he came for the Olympics.
After landing at Trudeau Airport around 12:45 p.m., the royal couple met with Premier Jean Charest at his downtown office.
Behind closed doors, they discussed trade and climate change. Charest then presented the prince with a collection of Quebec films and an Inuit sculpture.
Outside, an enthusiastic crowd of royal watchers gathered to catch a glimpse of Charles and Camilla.
"I consider this to be a fundamental part of being a patriotic Canadian," said Peter McNally, a self-described fan of the monarchy.
Richard Lord told CTV News he had a chance to speak briefly to the prince.
"He said, 'Good to see you,' and I said, 'Give my regards to your family.'"
One woman said she was excited to have Camilla meet her 8-month-old daughter, Sydney.
"Camilla shook my daughter's hand and we welcomed her to Montreal," said the woman.
"They were really nice. They were talking to everybody, and it was really exciting," said another.
Many in the crowd impressed with the royal couple's appearance.
"They looked fantastic - nicer in person than they do in photographs," said one woman.
Following the meeting with the premier, the couple moved on to the Cirque du Soleil training facility, where they were treated to a special performance.
The acrobats even sang "Happy Birthday" to the prince, who turns 61 on Saturday.
The tour continued with a stop at the Montreal Biodome, where Charles spoke briefly to a group of students about his passion for fighting climate change.
