William and Kate welcome Obamas to London

President and first lady end U.K. trip in royal style

Updated May 24, 2011, 1:54 pm

Global Post

enews screengrabPrince William and his new bride, Kate, meet with the Obamas on Tuesday.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge—better known as Prince William and the former Kate Middleton—welcomed President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama to London on Tuesday in their first royal duty as a married couple.

The newlyweds greeted the Obamas in the grand 1844 room of Buckingham Palace at the start of a U.S. state visit, the Daily Mirror reports. The meeting followed a formal ceremonial welcome in the sunny palace gardens, where the Obamas were greeted by the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, with a guard of honor and 41-gun salute.

It was Kate’s first duty undertaken as a member of the royal family. William and Kate returned from their honeymoon on a secluded island in the Seychelles over the weekend, and reportedly made a special trip to the palace to meet the Obamas.

A Clarence House spokeswoman told the Daily Mirror that the couples spent about 20 minutes together, chatting informally. It is thought that they spoke about the Duke and Duchess’ April 29 wedding and upcoming trip to the United States.

Photos showed President Obama talking to the Duke of Cambridge, while Michelle Obama chatted with the Duchess. Kate wore a Reiss beige bandage dress while Michelle Obama wore a turquoise floral summer dress with a pink bolero, the British newspaper the Express reported.

William and Kate will visit California in July during their first overseas tour as a married couple, which begins in Canada at the end of June.

After the brief meeting with William and Kate, Queen Elizabeth hosted a private lunch for the American visitors.

The Obamas will spend two nights at the palace as guests of the queen, staying in a six-room suite last used by William and Kate on their wedding night.

This article originally appeared on GlobalPost.