King Charles and Queen Camilla will attend a church service as they begin three days of official events in Australia after resting at a harbourside mansion.

The service at St Thomas’ Anglican Church in North Sydney on Sunday marks the beginning of a carefully planned, whistlestop royal tour during which the pair will travel between the NSW capital and Canberra.

King Charles has visited Australia 16 times, including two terms at a remote boarding campus of Geelong Grammar as a teenager, but this is the first trip since his coronation in 2022.

King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped off their plane at Sydney Airport on Friday night minutes after a downpour had halted and were greeted by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and a crowd of dignitaries.

Among them was Ky, a 12-year-old boy who offered a posy of red waratahs to Queen Camilla and discussed the arrangement with her before the royals stepped into a waiting vehicle.

“She liked the flowers a lot,” he said. “I was slightly nervous but I was also excited.”

Ky told ABC News his friends were “shocked” that he would be meeting the royal couple: “They didn’t believe me but now they do.”

He said he has always been a fan of the royals after his father bought him Royal Family toys during trips to England.

The royal couple were spotted strolling in the sunshine on Saturday at Admiralty House on a day of rest before the start of their public events.

Mr Albanese said he and his partner Jodie Haydon were able to “have a drink and a chat on an informal basis” with the royal couple at Admiralty House during the day.

“King Charles is someone who has an affection for Australia,” he told reporters on Saturday.

“He spoke about the time that he was here at school in Victoria and his regular visits back here.”

Sydneysiders unable to catch a glimpse of the royal couple on Sunday will have another opportunity at the Opera House and during a review of Australia’s naval fleet on Tuesday.

Ahead of the King’s inspection of the ships, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) appointed the sovereign with a series of honorary ranks on Saturday.

The force announced that King Charles would carry the titles of Admiral of the Fleet of the Royal Australian Navy, Field Marshal of the Australian Army, and Marshal of the Royal Australian Air Force.

Chief of the Defence Force Admiral David Johnston said the ranks reflected the country’s close relationship with the King.

“Since Australian Federation in 1901, Australia’s military forces have been custodians of great traditions connected to the Commonwealth, and 123 years later the Australian Defence Force is proud to continue this legacy,” he said.

A formation of air force jets with army and navy helicopters will also fly across Sydney Harbour in support of the King’s visit.

Mr Albanese will welcome King Charles and Queen Camilla at Parliament House in Canberra on Monday for a reception with political and community leaders.

The reception made headlines during the week after all six state premiers said they would not be able to attend due to more pressing engagements.

The trip marks the first time a King of Australia has touched down on the nation’s soil, with Queen Elizabeth II paying the first visit by a reigning monarch in 1954.

After visiting Canberra and Sydney, the King will travel to Samoa, where he will open the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

—AAP