Prince Charles delivered a speech composed by the Queen to the Gold Coast’s Carrara Stadium as he declared the 21st Commonwealth Games open after a ceremony that began with an almighty storm and concluded with a spectacular firework display.

Joined by the Duchess of Cornwall in Australia, the prince briefly struggled to release the note that had been placed inside the Queen’s baton when it began a journey round the old British Empire at Buckingham Palace 388 days ago.

He had earlier greeted around 5,000 people at the City botanic gardens in Brisbane, an hour’s drive north of the Gold Coast, as part of the celebrations surrounding Australia’s first hosting of the Games since 2006.

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“My wife and I could not be more delighted to join you all here on the Gold Coast and many millions watching from homes across the Commonwealth,” he told a packed stadium, “I’ve been asked by Her Majesty to convey a message,” he continued. “Ancient stories told by indigenous people remind us that even though you may be half a world away we are all connected. The Friendly Games have shown the ability of sport to bring people from different countries and backgrounds together.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games. Photograph: Darren England/AAP

There was a small protest of Indigenous Australians outside the stadium before the ceremony and three arrests were made after the small group chanted: “No justice, no Games,” and tried to force their way inside. Another demonstration had earlier threatened to disrupt the Queen’s baton relay as it completed the final approach through Queensland state. But David Zolkwer, the artistic director, sought to place indigenous communities at the heart of an opening ceremony which he intended to convey a message of “how we are alike and what we share – rather than on what sets us apart”.

Luther Cora, from the Bundjalung nation, which is in the Gold Coast area, performed a traditional smoking ceremony with his family. A didgeridoo was played and they engaged in the rhythmic beating of sticks accompanied by the applause of the 35,000 crowd.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protesters outside the Carrara Stadium. Photograph: Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images

The traditional practice is commonplace among many indigenous communities and involves burning various native plants to produce smoke to “cleanse oneself” and connect with each other and with the land.

The air was moist after a thrashing rainstorm drenched spectators making their way to the stadium. The triathlete Alistair Brownlee led Team England into a parade of athletes that lasted more than an hour. He is hoping to beat his brother, Jonny, and defend the three gold medals he won at the Glasgow Games in 2014, beginning with the men’s sprint triathlon on Thursday. The double Olympic champion gymnast Max Whitlock, hot favourite to reclaim the three titles he won in Scotland, also joined the parade, along with the country’s netballers and badminton players. Team Scotland, many wearing blue kilts, were led into the stadium by the 400m hurdler Eilidh Child while the swimmer Jazz Carlin was selected as flag bearer for Wales.

Sally Pearson, a 100m hurdler and Gold Coast native bidding to overcome an achilles injury and win her third straight Commonwealth title, was surprisingly overlooked for the role of the Australian flag bearer in favour of the hockey player Mark Knowles. But she was chosen to hand the baton to Prince Charles with the stadium illuminated by 7,000 LED lights, designed to make it seem like a perfect night sky.

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The Duke of Cornwall handed the stage to the pop star Delta Goodrem, a former actor in the Australian soap Neighbours who has become one of the country’s most successful singing exports. Dressed in a glittering blue jumpsuit, she belted out Welcome to Earth. There was a slightly uncomfortable moment as the former Queensland premier Peter Beattie publicly thanked the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall for attending the ceremony only for cameras to flick to a seemingly unaware Camilla flicking through a pamphlet.

Play Video 0:54 Three arrested during protest at Commonwealth Games opening ceremony – video

The ceremony finished with Migaloo, a giant animatronic whale, being hoisted high into the stadium. Much of the preceding three hours had celebrated the beaches and ocean which are such an integral part of life on the Gold Coast, an area on Australia’s east coast which enjoys 283 days of sunshine a year. The audience was told: “Migaloo serves to remind us that, whoever we are and wherever we are, we live in the same place; we share the same fantastic planet; we are all connected. Despite our apparent differences, we are all simply a part of the human race and our island is our shared home.”