Prince Andrew visits Melbourne shrine

Prince Andrew has laid a wreath at Melbourne's Shine of Remembrance and visited sick kids as part of his tour of Australia.

The Duke of York, third child of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, wore service medals pinned to the lapel of his a navy suit as he laid a wreath in the Shrine of Remembrance Sanctuary on Tuesday morning.

The prince, 57, then toured the Galleries of Remembrance before meeting staff and volunteers.

He later sat in on a school lesson with patients at the Royal Children's Hospital and visited the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

The Duke is in Australia as part of Pitch@Palace, his platform to accelerate the work of entrepreneurs.

Founded in 2014, the program has given some 400 tech entrepreneurs a kick-start by exposing them to some of the most powerful CEOs, mentors and business partners.

He will attend an official event for Pitch@Palace at Victoria's government house on Wednesday and is also scheduled to meet RMIT University students and emerging entrepreneurs from the start-up community.

Prince Andrew and his entourage will leave Melbourne for Brisbane on Thursday, and spend several days in Sydney before departing for the Middle East on September 29.