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LONDON (CNN) -- "The Star-Spangled Banner" rang out across the lawn of Buckingham Palace, followed by a 41-gun salute and the distinctive drone of bagpipes as Queen Elizabeth II welcomed President Barack Obama to England on a windy but sunny spring Tuesday.

Obama reviewed troops with the queen's husband, Prince Philip, before a day of meetings with British politicians including Prime Minister David Cameron.

Cameron talked up the two countries' closeness the night before the Obama visit officially began, calling the relationship "essential" and saying there was an "incredible alignment of views" between 10 Downing Street and the White House.

The two leaders will discuss issues ranging from Libya and the Arab spring uprisings to policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan and the Israel-Palestinian conflict, a senior British government official said Monday in a briefing with reporters.

Cameron and Obama do not have a "shopping list" of issues they must cover, the source said, asking not to be named talking about private discussions.

Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, officially welcomed the Obamas to the country Tuesday morning.

The meeting took place at the U.S. ambassador's residence after the president and his entourage came to London a day early to be sure his flight was not affected by a volcanic ash cloud spreading over the UK from Iceland.

Afternoon meetings will see Obama at 10 Downing Street to meet with Cameron, before returning to the palace for talks with opposition leader Ed Miliband of the Labour Party.

Ahead of their meeting, the president and the prime minister pledged to cooperate on economic development and security issues, according to an article in the Times of London 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."

An Ireland stop -- where Obama was greeted like a rock star -- came on the first day of the U.S. president's six-day, four-country European tour that also takes him 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.

-- CNN's Geoff Hill contributed to this report.

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