It's the rendezvous that had everyone bracing for maximum cringe.
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The man who is Australia's number one republic fan meeting the man who is Britain's number one monarch replacement.
But on Wednesday, as Prince Charles jetted into Canberra airport to be greeted by Malcolm Turnbull's cheshire beam, any awkwardness was quickly outshone by the show down the road.
A side effect of all the recent political carnage is that Australia currently has a surplus of former prime ministers. The usually elite club has seen its numbers swell to the point where official events now have so many ex-PMs they can't help but bump into their former nemeses.
And as service goers at the Australian War Memorial waited for the royals to arrive, Kevin Rudd has plenty of time for such yikes moments.
In town to give a lecture on reconciliation, Rudd had the opportunity to share a word (and an umbrella) with his successor as Labor leader, Bill Shorten. The two of course share an up-and-down history - with Shorten instrumental in Rudd's dumping in 2010 and then his brief reincarnation in 2013.
But we're sure that when Rudd was on The Project last night talking about "factional thugs from certain trade unions who make life difficult" he wasn't referring in any way to the man who made his career at the Australian Workers' Union.
There were plenty of other dignitaries to choose from at the War Memorial (such as the entire diplomatic corps) if Rudd was looking for someone else to pass the time with. So it may come as a surprise that the former PM landed on the one and only Tony Abbott.
Talk about weird frying pans and uncomfortable fires.
Granted, they do have some things in common. Such as a strong dislike for Julia Gillard and personal experience with party room dumpings.
Perhaps Kevin gave Tony advice on what to do when you hang around Parliament after you are sacked as prime minister.
And maybe, just maybe, they were inspired by the spirit of the day.
It being November 11, it is not just Remembrance Day but the anniversary of the Dismissal.
If Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser can patch things up, then surely, it's possible for any awkward history to be overcome.
