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The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall have been welcomed to Papua New Guinea as they begin their tour to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Prince Charles and Camilla were draped with garlands of flowers and cheered by crowds when they stepped off their plane in the capital, Port Moresby.

The royal couple were also welcomed by the prime minister and schoolchildren.

They are touring the country, as well as Australia and New Zealand, in honour of the Queen's 60-year reign.

The prince and his wife met Prime Minister Peter O'Neill, his wife Lynda Babao and other senior dignitaries when they stepped on to the red carpet at Jacksons International Airport.

They were also greeted by local schoolchildren in tribal dress who performed a hiri dance, usually employed to welcome traders to a village.

Jessie David, a 15-year-old wearing a pandanas leaf skirt, body paint and a headdress made of bird of paradise feathers, was given the honour of placing orchid flowers on the shoulders of the royals.

After the greetings, the formal welcome began and the British and Papua New Guinea national anthems were played by a military band as 2,000 well-wishers on a nearby hill watched proceedings.

Two rows of soldiers from the Papua New Guinea defence force formed a guard of honour for the couple.

Their commander, Brigadier General Francis Agwi, escorted the prince as he passed down the ranks inspecting the servicemen, stopping briefly to talk to some of them.

Later, Prince Charles was invested with the insignia of a Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu - an honour which carries the title of chief - by governor general Sir Michael Ogio.

The Order of Logohu, the Motuan tribe's word for the bird of paradise, is part of a new honours system introduced in 2005, the nation's 30th anniversary year, which recognises the high achievement of individuals.

Camilla was presented with the insignia of a Companion of the Order of the Star of Melanesia and the royal couple also received the Queen's Diamond Jubilee commemorative medal.

Papua New Guinea is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean and, linguistically, it is the world's most diverse country, with more than 700 native tongues.

Many of its inhabitants live in rural areas with few or no facilities of modern life.

Tribes in the isolated mountainous environment have little contact with one another, let alone with the outside world.

Communication is conducted through English and Tok Pisin, a form of Melanesian Pidgin English. In Pidgin, the prince is known as "pikinini", while the Queen is known as "Missis Kwin".

On Sunday, Charles and Camilla are expected to attend a traditional Sunday church service in a sports stadium and later they will attend a state dinner.

The Queen began festivities to mark her Diamond Jubilee in June with four days of public celebrations.