London (CNN) -- After a rock star reception in Ireland, President Barack Obama was in England on Tuesday to meet with Britain's royal family and huddle with top politicians.
The president will begin and end his day at Buckingham Palace where he will meet Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Later, he will dine with them and a host of others in the evening.
Afternoon meetings will see Obama at No. 10 Downing Street to meet with Prime Minister David Cameron, before returning to the palace for talks with opposition figure Ed Miliband.
Ahead of their meeting, the president and the prime minister pledged to cooperate on economic development and security issues in a piece that appeared in the Times of London on Tuesday.
"So as we meet today, facing immense economic, social and strategic challenges, it is natural that once again our two nations join together in common cause," the leaders said, calling the foundations of the relationship "rock solid."
Obama departed Ireland a day earlier than planned and flew to England on Monday night instead of Tuesday to avoid any potential complications resulting from a plume of volcanic ash spreading from a volcano in Iceland.
The Ireland stop came on the first day of Obama's six-day, four-country European tour that also takes the president to France and Poland.
The state of the global economy and the tumult in the Arab world will be high on the president's agenda during his tour, according to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.
Later in the week, Obama plans to attend the Group of Eight meeting in France, joining the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United Kingdom.
