The bunting is being patched up and curtseys practised following the surprise announcement Prince Charles and The Duchess of Cornwall will visit Feilding on November 15 during their New Zealand tour.

The Prince of Wales and his wife, Camilla, will be in New Zealand to celebrate the Queen's 60 years on the throne, visiting Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

But Feilding was added to the itinerary to give the heir to the throne and his wife a taste of rural New Zealand, something Prince Charles had asked for. His programme while he is in New Zealand will include a focus on New Zealand excellence and innovation in sport, agriculture and business.

Manawatu District Mayor Margaret Kouvelis said the town was gearing up to give the royal couple some Kiwi hospitality as they tour the saleyards and the farmers' market, which will be held on Thursday instead of Friday to work in with the tour schedule.

The prince and duchess will be the first royals to take a walk through Feilding.

Palmerston North royal fans and British ex-pats June Belchamber and her daughter Amanda McManus said they would be keen to see the royal couple.

"We'll be there waving the flags," said Mrs Belchamber.

"We watched the royal wedding and Mum is a diehard royalist," said Mrs McManus, who owns the Taste of UK shop in Palmerston North.

Mrs Belchamber said while she wasn't a huge fan of the Prince of Wales, the younger members of the royal family had given the monarchy a new lease on life.

She said she wished people wouldn't try to show the royal family in a bad light. "I think people should just leave them alone."

Although the royal visit will take less than a hour, with the couple only being in town from 1.15pm to 2pm, a lot of planning had to go into the event to make sure everything ran smoothly, said Feilding Promotion manager Helen Worboys.

A three-hour programme of activities, involving many of the district's schools, will begin in Manchester Square at noon. "The idea is to have a Rural Day-styled atmosphere so the couple can see and experience the town's culture."

Mrs Worboys said the visit had been discussed for some time and she was called a month ago to get the process started, but it was only recently confirmed it was all go.

"The prince asked to visit a farmers' market and as we had just won New Zealand's Farmers' Market of the Year we were called to assist."

Mrs Worboys said the visit was a coup and a “real feather in our cap for the town and the commitment shown by all the farmers' market's stallholders. We have been told he wants to see rural New Zealand and that he wants things as informal as possible".

Mrs Worboys said there would be a link with Armistice Day and it was expected Prince Charles would pay his respects to Lieutenant Tim O'Donnelll, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2010. The couple would also visit Ohakea Air Force Base.

As Air Commodore-in-Chief, the Prince of Wales will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Air Force at the base.

Mrs Worboys said a lot of detail was was involved, right down to the route the couple would take through the market.

"It's an interesting exercise, but incredibly exciting to be part of it."

Mrs Kouvelis said the visit was important for the young as every child who experienced a royal visit would remember the occasion for the rest of their life.

- © Fairfax NZ News