Prince Charles and his wife the Duchess of Cornwall were welcomed with a round of applause by people waiting at the St. John's airport for the two to begin their first official visit to Canada as a couple.

The two greeted local politicians waiting for them on the tarmac. Both Charles and Camilla were sporting two Remembrance Day poppies on their coats.

The couple was quickly whisked away to their first event, an official welcoming ceremony in St. John's, where they were greeted by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, and Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams.

CTV's Atlantic Bureau Chief Todd Battis reported that the stadium was about half-full, but the crowd gave the royal couple a loud welcome as trumpets blared.

Charles and Camilla were given a gun salute, and Charles spoke to soldiers.

The Royal couple kicked off an 11-day visit to Canada that will mark the 15th time Charles has toured Canada.

However, it is the first time he has visited since his marriage to Camilla in 2005.

The couple is sure to be greeted with warmth and enthusiasm throughout their trip, said Newfoundland Lieut.-Gov. John Crosbie.

"I would say there is considerable interest in this and there will be a big turnout and a friendly reception," he told CTV's Canada AM from St. John's on Monday morning.

Crosbie said he is looking forward to seeing Charles, whom he met in 1983, just a few days after losing a bid for the leadership of the federal Progressive Conservative party.

"You know how you feel after you've lost something like that. And he was aware of it, and was very sensitive and asked me about it and tried to console me," Crosbie said. "So I'm looking forward to seeing him again and making sure I do all I can to make sure he has a great visit to Newfoundland."

The couple will spend a couple of days travelling around Newfoundland before heading on to scheduled stops in Ontario, Quebec and B.C. before winding up the trip in Ottawa on Nov. 12.

During their trip, Charles and Camilla will visit Vancouver's new Olympic Stadium, open Toronto's Royal Winter Fair and participate in Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa.

Ciara Hunt, editor-in-chief of Hello! Canada magazine, said Camilla will also visit Dundern Castle in Hamilton, Ont., which was built by her great-great-great grandfather, Sir Allan MacNab.

"I think it's going to be really interesting to see how Camilla does over these 11 days," Hunt told Canada AM. "I think it's very obvious that Prince Charles is at his happiest now and they are a great Royal couple. She's really embraced her role as the princess consort-to-be. So it will be fun."

It is the first time since 2001 that Charles has been on Canadian soil. During that trip, he visited Ontario, Saskatchewan and the Yukon.

Royal watcher Richard Fitzwilliams said Charles has always had close ties to Canada, particularly because seven of the 22 regiments he is colonel-in-chief of are either Canadian or based in Canada.

During this current trip, Charles will present colours to three of those regiments.

The couple's visit comes at a time when polls suggest that almost half of Canadians would rather see Charles' son Prince William become the next king over his father.

In a Harris Decima poll released Monday, forty one per cent of respondents said they would prefer William as the next king.

Of the 1,000 people interviewed, about half said Canada should keep the monarchy and that it is an important part of Canadian history. The other half said the monarchy is a relic of Canada's colonial past.

People in Quebec were most likely to say the monarchy has no place in modern Canadian society over people in other provinces.

A group in Quebec has said it plans to protest the couple's visit to Montreal next week.

Fitzwilliams said Canadians will see a very happy couple in Charles and Camilla, and a Prince who is enjoying more favourable reviews among the British public, particularly due to his charitable work.

"I think that (Canadians) will see somebody who is very much the crusader when it comes to issues such as rainforests and global warming and so on," Fitzwilliams told CTV News Channel in a telephone interview from London on Monday morning. "But they'll also see, despite the fact that he is a bit fogey-ish, somebody who's got a good sense of humour and a very human touch."