Steady rain didn't scare off hundreds of spectators who turned out Saturday in Vancouver to get a glimpse of Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
"It was so exciting! They were getting closer and closer and I thought, 'Oh, I'm going to shake their hands!'" squealed Anne Marsh.
The royal couple toured the Olympic Village, the site where athletes will stay during the Vancouver 2010 Games next February.
Prince Charles laughed at the antics of Olympic mascots as he and his wife stood for a photo opportunity.
The royal couple were greeted at the village entrance by a group of First Nations drummers.
One of the drummers was overheard telling Camilla that they call the rain 'West Coast sunshine,' just like the weather in England.
Premier Gordon Campbell presented the royal couple Olympic-themed gifts, including red mittens and scarves.
Several Olympic and Paralympic athletes got a chance to chat one-on-one with the couple.
Paralympic alpine skier Karolina Wisniewska said Prince Charles told her that he'd like to skiing in Bugaboo Provincial Park and asked her how the snow was.
I said, 'Oh, you should do it,'" she said.
"They're very, very nice, very personable."
Camilla later went solo to the VanDusen Botanical Garden to take in the flowers.
Prince Charles visited with some entrepreneurs.
While this is Charles' fifteenth visit to Canada, it is his wife's first trip.
They return to Victoria Saturday night.
With a report from CTV British Colubmai's Leah Hendry and files from the Canadian Press
