PRINCE Charles has completed the first full day of his Australian visit amid reports from London that he will use the tour to tell the Australian people he may never become their king.

The newspaper, citing a senior royal courtier, said the Prince would use a keynote address at a reception in Canberra to voice his concerns.

The heir to the throne will visit the national capital on Friday, marking the end of his whirlwind five-city tour.

He drew enthusiastic but modest crowds at two events in Perth today.

He chatted easily with supporters and graciously accepted two kisses from a woman who migrated to Australia from the UK as a child.

Elizabeth Clancy, 53, was shaking with excitement after her close encounters with the newly engaged Prince, who will wed longtime companion Mrs Parker-Bowles on April 8.

"I gave him a kiss on the cheek, wished him all the best for his marriage, and then gave him a kiss on the way out," Ms Clancy said.

"I have never met royalty before, that's the first time for me, so it was real exciting."

During his visit to Perth in 1979, Prince Charles also received a kiss – but on that occasion it was from bikini-clad model Jane Priest as he waded in knee-deep water at Cottesloe Beach.

The Prince of Wales's visit this time has been overshadowed by that of Danish Prince Frederik and his Australian-born wife Mary.

But today Prince Charles proved he still had loyal subjects in Australia, at least one of whom burst into a spontaneous chorus of God Save the Queen when a republican dared wave an alternative Australian flag featuring a boomerang and the Southern Cross.

"I thought I might as well do something dramatic ... to express the fact huge numbers of Australians like the monarchy," impromptu singer James Hagan said.

"We are not grovellers, we are not snobs, we just like the monarchy because it is a 200-year connection between this country (and) our law, our government, our attitudes, our way of thinking (are) all connected with Britain and the monarchy."

In keeping with his environmental interests, the prince visited a lobster export company, where he examined a large specimen bound for China, and patted sheep at a University of Western Australia research centre.

He also spoke of his delight at returning to Australia.

"I can't tell you what a pleasure it is to be back here in Australia, and in particular in Western Australia ... to be in good old Perth," he said.

"With so many happy recollections ... of previous visits to this city, it really hardly feels as though as I have been away at all.

"And yet I fear 11 years has passed by – and look what's happened to me in the interim."

The comments came as he ended his tour of Royal Perth Hospital, where he admitted feeling humbled upon hearing of the experiences of survivors of the Bali bombings still undergoing treatment two years after the tragedy.

"Many, many Australians after Bali, and after the tsunami, led the world in their compassionate and generous response," he said.

"It has warmed my heart to be reminded of that spirit on arrival in Australia, and to have met some of the unstoppably dedicated people here at the Royal Perth Hospital who have done so much for so many, and who set such a shining example of the best of Australia to the rest of the world."

The prince witnessed the impact of the tsunami first-hand when he stopped in Sri Lanka en route to Australia.

"The scale of the (tsunami) disaster was beyond all belief and the suffering of those whose lives have been devastated is truly heart-rending," he said today.

The Prince concluded his Perth itinerary with a reception at Government House tonight.

He will fly to Alice Springs tomorrow, then Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra.