The crowds started to gather more than three hours before the Duke and Duchess of Sussex performed their first overseas walkabout on the forecourt of the Sydney Opera House.

Well-wishers brought homemade signs, toys and newspaper clippings as the expecting couple were greeted by hundreds of people and the sunshine.

The good weather was in stark contrast to the grey skies of Monday when Harry and Meghan arrived in the city.

The duke and duchess were met with cheers and royal fans craned their necks and held smartphones aloft for a chance to glimpse the pair.

Royal tour of Australia – Day One
The couple are in Sydney on the first day of their visit to Australia (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Among those in the crowd were sisters Hannah and Francesca Francis, 12 and 10.

Hannah said: “I told my sister we would see Meghan today but I couldn’t believe it when she came over to speak to us.

“She was so nice and friendly and she is so pretty. She was so nice to us and said thank you for coming down to meet her.”

Francesca said: “We were both super excited to meet Harry and Meghan, I just can’t believe we did.

“Our friends are going on be so jealous, we’re going to be talking about this forever.”

Royal tour of Australia – Day One
The Duchess of Sussex meets members of the public during a walkabout outside the Sydney Opera House (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Another group of 15-year-old schoolgirls were not ashamed of skipping school to get the chance to meet the couple.

Emerson Yee held up a poster saying, “I gave up perfect school attendance to see you”.

She said: “They both said they liked my poster – but they told me not to miss school again!”

Four young girls were plucked from the audience and presented bouquets to the couple, including two-year-old Charlotte Collier.

Kimberley Mueller, her sister, said: “They just came straight up and shook our hands. She took the flowers from the girls and they were just gorgeous, the pair of them.

“I was shaking with the mums, I was like, ‘Is it normal that I’m shaking?’ It was amazing.

“We talked about how much they were enjoying Sydney and how they’re going to be back. It was awesome.”