GOLD COAST (AFP) - Commonwealth Games organisers defended Prince Charles' wife Camilla on Thursday (April 5) after criticism that she looked bored during Wednesday's opening ceremony.

Games president Louise Martin said the Duchess of Cornwall was "shattered" after a long plane journey and official duties, but denied that she was "tired and disinterested".

Several media outlets leapt on images of her leafing through a programme during Wednesday's proceedings as evidence that she would rather have been elsewhere.

"Can I assure you that is not true," Martin said. "She was absolutely shattered. She was jetlagged.

"She'd just got off the plane in the morning, was on a full duty right through and the only time she'd got a break was when she sat in a car from Brisbane down to (Gold Coast).

"And then she got 20 minutes to change before she went into another reception and then straight up to the ceremony.

"And when you're back-to-back like that, coming off a long-haul flight... and she hates flying, she really does. She hates it. And she really wanted to go to sleep, you know."

Camilla was a guest of honour at the ceremony - especially as her husband Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, had the duty of declaring the Games open.

"She really enjoyed herself. I didn't see the facial expressions, etc, but the comments between the Duchess and Prince of Wales and myself... she was asking questions all the time. They both enjoyed it," said Martin.