
Michelle Obama met Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife Samantha at 10 Downing Street today as part of her two-day visit to Britain.

The US First Lady was accompanied in central London by her daughters, Malia, 16, and 14-year-old Sasha and her mother, Marian Robinson.

She is in the UK to help highlight her campaign to get more of the world's poorest girls get educated and make it 'an urgent economic issue'.

It is something she had planned to discuss with the Camerons today over afternoon tea, after arriving at Downing Street at about 5pm.

She hoped to appeal to him to help adolescent girls worldwide attend school and discuss joint work between the countries to boost education.

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Royal meeting: Michelle Obama enjoys breakfast tea with Prince Harry at Kensington Palace this morning, where he was said to be 'delighted' to meet her children Malia and Sasha and her mother Marion

Sealed with a kiss: Mr Cameron and Mrs Obama are pictured embracing each other outside 10 Downing Street in London this afternoon

Smiles all round: Mrs Obama greets Mrs Cameron with a kiss outside 10 Downing Street this afternoon

Children: Mrs Obama's daughters Sasha (left), 14, and Malia (right), 16, were also at Downing Street to meet the Prime Minister and his wife

Whistlestop tour: Mrs Obama arrived at Downing Street this afternoon where she was greeted by Mr Cameron and his wife Samantha

Poses: Mrs Obama stands in front of Number 10 with Mr and Mrs Cameron, where she will enjoy another round of tea with the couple

Earlier Mrs Obama, who landed at London Stansted Airport with her family last night, took tea with Prince Harry at Kensington Palace.

Harry, 30, who is known to get on with Mrs Obama, was ‘very pleased’ to host her and ‘delighted’ to meet her family, a palace spokesman said.

The 51-year-old wife of US President Barack Obama spent around 40 minutes chatting with the fifth in line to the throne.

He was keen to catch up with them after the warm welcome he received at the White House during his trip to America two years ago.

Harry was a surprise guest at Mrs Obama’s Mother’s Day tea for military mothers in the US in 2013.

The three generations of Obamas and the Royal discussed their shared interest in support for veterans and their families.

Talks: Mrs Obama (right) is in the UK to help highlight her campaign to get more of the world's poorest girls educated

Waving: US First Lady Michelle Obama (right) meets with British Prime Minister David Cameron (centre) and his wife Samantha (left)

Sasha, Malia and Mrs Obama's mother Marian Robinson pictured leaving 10 Downing after their time with Cameron

Mrs Obama waved to the crowds as she followed her mother and daughters out the door

A Kensington Palace spokesman said Harry was also interested to hear from her about the Let Girls Learn initiative to further girls' education.

Also part of her tour was a trip to Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets, east London, where she was met with a heartfelt embrace from pupils.

On her arrival at the school she was treated to a performance of interpretative dance and song from the schoolgirls, who are aged between 11 and 18.

Ofsted reports state the school's student population is 'nearly all of Bangladeshi heritage, with a very small minority from other backgrounds'.

Mrs Obama went on to host talks with International Development Secretary Justine Greening and returned Peace Corps Volunteer Bina Contreras.

They spoke about her Let Girls Learn campaign, which was launched in March.

Cuddle: Michelle Obama embraces a student as she arrives at Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets, east London, this morning

Cheers: The schoolgirls cheered and waved flags as the U.S. First Lady arrived at the school this morning as part of her two-day visit

Embrace: Mrs Obama pulls another schoolgirl in for a hug to the delight of her fellow students who screamed as she arrived at the school

Smiles: Michelle Obama had a huge grin on her face after she met pupils at the girls school as part of her two-day visit to Britain

They unveiled a five-year programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo to give 450,000 children the chance to get a primary school education.

It will also help almost 1.4million girls and boys learn to read.

The programme will focus on helping girls who are out of school in conflict affected areas, such as North and South Kivu and Katanga.

It will give them the skills they need to get a job and reintegrate back into society having faced significant upheaval.

Julia Gillard, former prime minister of Australia and a strong advocate for girls’ education, also joined for a question and answer session with the First Lady, chaired by head teacher Vanessa Ogden.

She then gave a speech to the young girls where she thanked them for their 'touching' welcome and described them as 'powerful' and 'beautiful'.

Talk: Michelle Obama took to the stage at the school this morning to speak to the girls and inspire them to learn and encourage education

Passionate: Mrs Obama told the girls as someone who is black, female and also comes from a working-class background, she understands the need for a good education

Michelle Obama appeared visibly moved as she thanked the girls for their welcome as well as those who were watching the event online

Speech: Mrs Obama also hosted a round table discussion to highlight her Let Girls Learn campaign, which was launched in March

Inspire: Michelle Obama sits between the UK Department of International Development's Justine Greening (left) and returned Peace Corps Volunteer Bina Contreras (right) during a 'Let Girls Learn' meeting at the Mulberry School for Girls

Justine Greening, the International Development Secretary, speaks with Michelle Obama at the discussion held in the east London school

Discussion: Julia Gillard (left), former prime minister of Australia and a strong advocate for girls’ education, also joined for a question and answer session chaired by head teacher Vanessa Ogden (right)

Grilled: Mrs Obama was keen to take part in a discussion with Julia Gillard (left) about the U.S. government's Let Girls Learn initiative

Visibly moved, she told the girls - many of whom come from working-class backgrounds - that she understood the struggles they faced and that she wanted them to succeed.

'YOU INSPIRE ME': WHY MICHELLE OBAMA CHOSE MULBERRY SCHOOL Nearly all the students at Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets, east London, have English as a second language. Most of the pupils are of Bangladeshi heritage, with a very small minority from other backgrounds, including White British, Pakistani and African. The school caters for girls aged between 11 and 18. It was said to have been chosen directly by the White House and organised by the US Embassy, which dealt directly with the school. A recent Ofsted report rated the school as 'outstanding', and Mrs Obama told students today she chose to visit it because she felt inspired by the girls. She told them: 'I'm here because when I look out at all of these young women I see myself... in so many ways your story is my story. 'I grew up in a working class neighbourhood - a one a lot like this one - where people work hard to make ends meet and where families are tight-knit with strong values.' Advertisement

She told them: 'Some might be wondering why the First Lady of the United States came here to Tower Hamlets and chose this school when I could have gone anywhere in the country.

'I'm here because of you, because girls like you inspire me. I'm so proud of you and your passion.

'I'm here because when I look out at all of these young women I see myself. I may come from a country that's an ocean away and I may be a bit older than you all. But in so many ways your story is my story.

'I grew up in a working class neighbourhood - a one a lot like this one - where people work hard to make ends meet and where families are tight-knit with strong values.

'Perhaps like a lot of you we grew up surrounded by our extended family. I had grandparents, aunts, cousins living just blocks away from our apartment.

'Our home was often busy with family coming and going and because our apartment was so small there wasn't much privacy.

'I can remember how hard it was to concentrate on my homework because someone was always talking or watching TV right next to me.

'I often woke up at 4am when it was quiet so I could finish my homework because our home was always so busy,' she told them. 'I read every book I could get my hands on and did my best in every assignment because my parents said that a good education was the ultimate key to success.'

She added that she could understand how it feels to be 'lost in the shuffle' and that she never would have believed she would one day be the First Lady of the US.

Mrs Obama also told them it can be difficult to feel comfortable when people are saying things about your religion and you have to face those who need to 'see beyond the headscarf'.

She added: 'With an education from this amazing school you all have every chance you need to rise above the noise and fulfil every one of your dreams.'

An impressive 83 per cent of the students from the Tower Hamlets school, including many from ethnic minorities, manage to secure a place at university.

Mrs Obama said: 'The world needs more girls like you growing up to lead our parliaments and our board rooms and our courtrooms and our universities,' she said. 'We need you.'

Mulberry School for Girls is just a short drive from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School which Mrs Obama visited in 2009. She used her speech today to thank the 'inspirational' students for their time at the previous visit.

Fist pump: The U.S. First Lady is surrounded by pupils as the girls undertake performances of gymnastics and song in her honour

Enthusiastic: Mrs Obama seemed impressed with the schoolgirls performances as she cheered them on from the sidelines this morning

Greeting: Students whooped and cheered as Mrs Obama made her way into the playground at Mulberry School for Girls in Tower Hamlets

Speaking ahead of the First Lady's visit, Dr Ogden, head teacher of Mulberry School for Girls, said: 'We are delighted to be welcoming Michelle Obama to Mulberry School for Girls.

'The First Lady is one of the greatest, most inspiring women of our time and her visit is an honour for us.

‘Her use of her platform as First Lady to drive change for girls and to break down barriers in access to education is critical for a civilised world.

'The moral imperative is clear and the business case supports it. This is the call to get behind her global campaign.

Mrs Obama wants to use the visit to discuss joint work between Britain and America to boost education for adolescent girls across the world through the Let Girls Learn initiative, championed by she and Mr Obama.

A convoy of cars arrive in Tower Hamlets with the First Lady Michelle Obama on board ahead of her morning at the east London school

Security: There was a strong police presence in Tower Hamlets today as the First Lady of the United States made her way from Kensington Palace to the school

Crowds: Several people turned out to line the streets in a bid to catch a glimpse of the famous First Lady on her two-day visit to the UK

Guarded: Michelle Obama's security were on hand outside the school while the First Lady met with hundreds of students earlier today

More than 62million girls around the world are not in school which Mrs Obama claimed was a ‘heartbreaking injustice that deprives these girls of the chance to develop their potential’.

In an article for the Financial Times, she said: ‘I intend to use my remaining time as First Lady — and beyond — to rally leaders across the globe to join us in this work.

‘Because every girl, no matter where she lives, deserves the opportunity to develop the promise inside of her.’

Girls faced obstacles to education such as forced marriages, early pregnancies, abuse and sexism, she said.

'That kind of life is unthinkable for the girls in our lives, so why would we accept this fate for any girl on this planet?' she wrote.

'This week I will join Prime Minister David Cameron in London to begin to answer that question, and announce a series of partnerships between the US and UK to educate adolescent girls in developing countries around the world.'

Impressed: Students perform a gymnastic routine and other youngsters wave the American flag as Mrs Obama looking on happily

One of the students performs an interpretive dance for Mrs Obama, who said she was touched by the warm welcome she received

Mrs Obama urged world leaders to 'throw the school gates open to girls everywhere,' arguing that it is a heartbreaking injustice to have 62 million girls out of school

Happy: Mrs Obama laughs as she meets the crowds. This morning she was welcomed for tea at Kensington Palace with Prince Harry

Cheers: The U.S. First Lady greets crowds of schoolgirls as they wave the Union Jack and American flags in excitement at her arrival

Campaign: Mrs Obama gives a wave to the excited schoolgirls, and is at the school to highlight her campaign to make girls’ education ‘an urgent economic issue’

Support: Mrs Obama will also host an event at the school to discuss joint work between America and Britain to boost education for adolescent girls across the world through the Let Girls Learn initiative

Posy: One of the students hands the U.S. First Lady a bouquet of flowers as she meets pupils at the school in east London this morning

Waiting: Excited schoolgirls from Mulberry School for Girls await the arrival of Michelle Obama and her two daughters, Sasha and Malia

Excited: Girls at the school in Tower Hamlets eagerly awaited the arrival of the Obamas and waved a mixture of Union Jacks and U.S. flags

She praised the UK as a 'global leader' for girls' education and said one joint scheme included a £115million investment in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

She added: 'In addition, our development agencies and two of countries' leading universities will collaborate on evidence-based research to determine the best ways to educate adolescent girls.

‘And British and American partners will work together to support teacher training, girls' leadership camps, and other community-based programmes in developing countries.'

Mrs Obama added: 'Combined, these efforts total nearly 200million dollars - but, given the scope of this challenge, even that is nowhere near sufficient. Girls' education is a global issue that requires a global solution.'

After London, the group party will fly on to Italy to meet US armed services families based in Europe and to visit the Milan Expo as part of the third strand of her work, encouraging healthier diets for children.

First Lady Michelle Obama gives a wave as she leaves the plane after landing on the tarmac at London Stansted Airport on Monday

Welcome to London: First Lady Michelle Obama arrived in London with daughters Malia (centre) and Sasha (right) on Monday