Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has met with her British counterpart David Cameron at Downing Street for talks including both nation's involvement in Afghanistan and the situation in Libya.
Sharing a joke as they entered a second floor sitting room of 10 Downing Street, Mr Cameron welcomed the Australian PM and made a jibe about "something that's happening tomorrow which we are really quite excited about".
Both leaders and their partners will attend the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey on Friday, but it was business as usual in the meantime.
"There are lots of things we can talk about and work together on, particularly things like Afghanistan where our troops are both serving together as they did in Iraq and obviously we want to discuss some of the issues like Libya that are current and also some of the trading and economic issues ... and I'm going to be very interested to hear Prime Minister Gillard's impressions of (her) tour around the far east, to us, that's the backyard to you," Mr Cameron said.
Ms Gillard has just completed a week-long tour of north Asia where she toured parts of earthquake-damaged Japan and met with Chinese President Hu Jintao.
"It's great to be here and I'm very much looking forward to discussing not only all of those things (mentioned by Mr Cameron) but the run up to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth later this year," Ms Gillard said.
Media were ushered out of the room so talks could begin, with Ms Gillard emerging about 45 minutes later, rushing off to nearby Clarence House to meet with Prince Charles to see the first first in line to the throne on the eve of his eldest son's wedding.
