The Prince of Wales was greeted at the Glastonbury Festival yesterday by founder Michael Eavis.
The prince arrived at 900-acre Worthy Farm, in Pilton, Somerset, to mark the festival's 40th anniversary.
Mr Eavis, 74, accompanied the prince, who was also visiting in his capacity as president of Wateraid, one of the main beneficiaries of the festival's fundraising efforts.
After visiting a housing development in Pilton, where a commemorative tree was planted, Prince Charles's first stop within the festival grounds was the Greenpeace field.
He was greeted by Greenpeace executive director John Sauven and given a tour of the enclosure's stalls.
Prince Charles was greeted by rapturous applause and cheers as he arrived at the Greenpeace field.
Hundreds of revellers swarmed round the Prince, dressed in a beige suit, as he battled his way through the crowds.
But he was not fazed and frequently stopped to chat and shake hands with the jovial spectators.
Jack Rogers, 27, from London, said: "He asked me how the food was. This is amazing, I wasn't expecting to see him today."
Prince Charles watched a brief performance from African musical act Zambezi Express before wading back through the masses to his Land Rover.
Festival-goers dressed in summer gear and weird and wonderful costumes shouted "We love you, Charles" as the Prince made his way round the field.
Following behind, Mr Eavis, dressed in a striped shirt and chinos, said it was a typical Glastonbury welcome.
"They're a classless society," he said. "The Prince seems to be really enjoying his visit."
After a visit to the Queen's Head stage, where the Prince met the band Two Door Cinema Club and representatives from Wateraid, he headed over to the Pyramid Stage - the festival's centrepiece.
A raucous crowd assembled in the Pyramid field and cheered Prince Charles as he walked to the front of the stage to meet members of the festival management team. Walking in the footsteps of David Bowie, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen, the Prince shook hands with backstage staff, the artist liaison team and farm management.
As if addressing a rock star, revellers shouted "Charlie" from the field - which by tonight will be full of some 100,000 music fans.
Prince Charles smiled and threw the bemused crowd a wave before leaving the festival site.