and beamed as they were greeted by hundreds of well-wishers in sunny Sydney when the royal couple attended church on Sunday.

It was the first full day of engagements for the pair, who had and took a day to recover from their long journey before meeting excited members of the public in the city.

But the King did allude to his inside St Thomas' Anglican Church as he went to sign a Bible. "What day is it again?" he said with a chuckle.

The historic Bible in question belonged to Rev Richard Johnson, the first Christian Minister in . signed it in 1954, during the first visit of a reigning monarch to these shores. Handing it to Charles, the Archbishop said the Bible "represents a significant history of this church and nation."

READ MORE:

Notably, at the top of the prayer book page that Charles signed was the late ' signatures from their 1983 visit. The tour marked a turning point in their ill-fated relationship, with Charles understood to have been frustrated over the public's incredible reaction to Diana

Charles and Camilla, meanwhile, were welcomed to the church by the archbishop of Sydney, Kanishka Raffel, and , who waved Australian flags. Other members of the public held signs saying 'Welcome home Your Majesties'. The primary school kids were certainly excited to meet the VIP guests. "Are they here?" one boy shouted, via the . Afterwards, another proudly shouted, "I touched the King!" and "I'm famous".

It's a poignant visit for the King; his first to an overseas realm as sovereign, and his first major foreign trip since being diagnosed . And according to royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop, - especially for .

She explained to the : "The press corps have flown in and the King has postponed his cancer treatment – everyone is set for . Headlines have been full of it – the political snubs from Australia's premiers, to the pared-down itinerary and absence of walkabouts. Will Charles's 17th visit down under, seal the deal for Republicans or set royal hearts aflutter?

"With all eyes on the King, there has been less talk of , who will be touching down as Australia's new queen. Her gig won't be easy - she has giant shoes to fill and not just those of the late Queen. Against expectations, it was just over 40 years ago that Australians surprised themselves and fell in love with a fresh royal fairy story – cue the arrival of Charles and Diana on a six week tour in 1983.

"Staunchly Republican Australian Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, had been hoping that the incoming Prince and would seal the deal for dumping the British monarchy. Not a bit of it. Crowd surges, overwhelmed police, flags, flowers and gridlocked roads: 1983 saw the start of a brand new phenomenon: Diana-mania.

"The public's love was unadulterated – so much so that Prince Charles, who had been trying to woo Australia since 1966, took umbrage. Sadly Diana is long gone, but while here in Britain we have grown fond of , who has been rehabilitated in our press, in Australia memories of the 'other woman' and Diana's rough treatment at the hands of the are more pronounced."