London: It was a moment of unintended political irony.
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At precisely the same time ABC documentary Killing Season tore open the secrets of Julia Gillard's seizing the prime ministership on Australian television, in London she was telling a room full of schoolgirls they could be whatever they wanted to be.
As Australia watched the Rudd government fail in its push to take action on climate change, Ms Gillard told the students "we can inspire change" and that life was full of ups and downs but "you pick yourself up and keep going forward".
And as the documentary-version of Ms Gillard and others plotted the political coup against Kevin Rudd, the off-screen version won applause for encouraging young women to "make the most of life's chances, to define your own options and choices."
In a highlight of her new incarnation as an international ambassador for the education of girls and young women, Ms Gillard took part on Tuesday in a Q&A with Michelle Obama during the First Lady's visit to a school in east London.
Ms Obama got a popstar reception at the Mulberry School for Girls, where she was greeted with screams, flowers, and a song by the mostly black and Muslim students.
In an emotional speech, sometimes with a halting voice, Ms Obama told the students "girls like you inspire me and impress me every single day… I am so proud of your passion, your diligence, your grit and your determination.
"When I look out at all these young women I see myself – in so many ways your story is my story."
She told the girls that education would give them "everything you need to rise above all of the noise and fulfill every last one of your dreams", despite the pain and frustration of people who could not "see beyond your headscarf to who you really are".
Ms Gillard said she had been "energised by all the squealing and screaming" that greeted the First Lady at the school.
But in a question and answer session with the students she gave practical advice, telling them to "exchange life stories" with other young women around the world and "use that energy to advocate for education globally", and advising them to work hard if they wanted to study law like she did.
She said there was a "global moment now for girls' education" that had been born of the tragedy in the shooting of Malala and the kidnapping of the Nigerian schoolgirls.
"We all thought to ourselves, if these girls can show so much bravery to get an education, surely we can do more."
Ms Gillard was appointed chair of the Global Partnership for Education in February 2014.
"The First Lady is absolutely right, the foundation stones, literacy, numeracy, being able to express yourself, having all of those tools at your fingertips are important for the rest of your life," she said.
"Beyond that it's giving you the self-confidence to know that you can try and succeed, that you can sometimes try and fail and learn from that failure.
"Life is full of ups and downs, some of them we self-create because we make a mistake, sometimes life just deals you a more difficult hand. I would like to think … you're coming out not only with practical skills but with a resilience and a predisposition to be able to make the most of life's chances, to define your own options and choices."
Ms Obama is in London partly to promote her Let Girls Learn initiative.
In a column in the Financial Times on Tuesday, Ms Obama said the 62 million girls not in school around the world was a "heartbreaking injustice".
"Too often, young women face insurmountable barriers to attend school: unaffordable school fees; early and forced marriage and pregnancy; and societal beliefs that girls are simply less worthy of an education than boys," she wrote.
It affected their and their children's health, and it had an economic impact on a country's wealth.
"But for me, this is not just about policy or economics," Ms Obama wrote. "This is deeply personal, because I come to this issue not just as a first lady but as a mother.
"Every time I meet these girls on my travels abroad, I am blown away by their passion, intelligence and hunger to learn — and I cannot help but see my daughters in them."
She said she would announce with UK Prime Minister David Cameron a new, $US120 million ($154.83 million) partnership to educate adolescent girls in developing countries.
Ms Obama also visited Prince Harry at Kensington Palace Prince Harry to discuss Let Girls Learn and the plight of military veterans.
A statement from the palace said the prince was "very pleased" to host the First Lady for tea, and was "delighted" to meet her mother and daughters.
Ms Obama was also due for tea at Downing Street.
On the rest of her trip – accompanied by her mother Marian Robinson and daughters Malia and Sasha – Ms Obama will visit the Milan Expo, cultural sites in Venice and a US military station in Vicenza, Italy.
Ms Gillard is addressing the Overseas Development Institute in London on Wednesday, giving and Institute of Directors lecture on Thursday and appearing at the London School of Economics and Political Science next week.
