After getting his Irish on in his ancestor’s hamlet, Moneygall, and at the beginning of two-day trip to London, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama visited the family that once ruled Ireland and the rest of the British global empire.

The day for the Obamas began at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, Winfield House, where they met Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. They then moved on to Buckingham Palace for the pomp and circumstance of an official arrival ceremony at the invitation of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

The Obama visit comes at a propitious time for the royals and the President. The royals are basking in the afterglow of the good cheer that came with the wedding of Prince William and Katherine Middleton, now known as Duchess of Cambridge. The Obamas also met the newlyweds.

And later this week the president gets down to global political and trade issues with America's allies, including British Prime Minister David Cameron and other European leaders. Obama, who is viewed favorably on the continent will, according to the Associated Press, provide reassurance to the Group of Eight heads of state that while the United States is focused increasingly on Asia and a host of developing nations, it still considers its oldest allies as central to American foreign, defense and economic policy concerns.

(Photo: AP Photo/Toby Melville, pool)