Prince William and Kate have arrived in Canada with their children for a highly anticipated eight-day tour.

William and Kate last visited a few months after their 2011 wedding and have now returned with three-year-old Prince George and Princess Charlotte, 16 months.

The royal family arrived in a Royal Canadian Air Force jet that landed at Patricia Bay, the home of a maritime helicopter squadron close to Victoria, the capital of British Columbia.

Waiting at the bottom of the plane’s steps to greet them was Canada’s prime minster Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire.

But all eyes were on the young prince and princess who are rarely seen in public together and likely to steal the limelight away from their parents.

The tour is Charlotte’s first official royal visit, but George travelled to Australia and New Zealand with his parents in 2014 when he was nine months old.

Highlights of the trip to Canada’s east coast will see William and Kate experience the stunning natural world of the province of British Columbia and the territory of Yukon, where they will go fishing, sightseeing and meet First Nations communities.

With AAP