Mr Whitelaw and Mrs Thatcher, two of the contenders for the Tory leadership, addressed the Young Conservatives' conference at Eastbourne today and afterwards gave each other a quick hug and a kiss on the seafront for the benefit of photographers.
Mrs Thatcher said: “William WhitelawWillie and I have been friends for years. I have done that to Willie many times and he to me. It was not that difficult for him to do it, I don't think.”
At the conference Mr Whitelaw had warned about the dangers of becoming an ageing party. And he'd urged the party to identify itself with people in the North.
Mrs Thatcher, who was given a standing ovation, dealt with the country's economic problems and said inflation could have a devastating effect on the future of a free society.
The other candidates in Tuesday's ballot are Sir Geoffrey Howe, Mr James Prior and Mr John Peyton.