The king of Bahrain, whose regime has been accused of brutally suppressing pro-democracy demonstrations, has been revealed as one of the guests at a historic lunch of sovereign monarchs hosted by the Queen at Windsor Castle on Friday.
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa appeared on a guest list released early on Friday ahead of the unprecedented gathering to celebrate the diamond jubilee.
Other guests include Swaziland's King Mswati III, as well as Sheikh Nasser Mohamed Aal Jaber Aal-Sabah of Kuwait and Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz Aal Saud of Saudi Arabia.
One definite no-show will be Queen Sofía of Spain, ordered by her government to turn down the invitation in response to a planned trip next month by the Earl of Wessex to Gibraltar, the UK overseas territory Spain wants returned to its sovereignty.
Human rights demonstrators are expected to stage a protest outside Bahrain's embassy in London later on Friday over the inclusion of the country's ruler.
The former Foreign Office minister Denis MacShane accused the FCO on Thursday of placing the Queen in an impossible position. The Labour MP said: "Many in Britain will regret that the foreign secretary, who approves all invitations sent in the Queen's name as head of state, has decided to include a representative of the Bahraini regime which has done such terrible things to its own people since the Arab awakening a year ago."
The Foreign Office said it had advised on "logistics", adding that the invitations would have been issued by the Queen in a private capacity.
It said that "all world sovereigns" were invited to the event, which was "organised by the royal household, with assistance and co-ordination by the FCO". The UK was a "long-standing friend and ally" of Bahrain, and the "strong relationship" allowed "full and frank discussion" on issues of concern, including human rights. » | Caroline Davies | Friday, May 18, 2012
BBC: Diamond Jubilee: The world's monarchs – Kings, queens, sheikhs and sultans are among those joining the Queen for lunch at Windsor Castle as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. But which countries still have a monarchy and what is the role of the sovereign monarch? » | Friday, May 18, 2012
BBC: Queen's lunch for monarchs attracts controversy: The King of Bahrain and Swaziland's King Mswati III are among controversial monarchs expected at a Windsor Castle lunch being hosted by the Queen. » | Friday, May 18, 2012
FRANCE 24: Tensions over regal jubilee lunch of Queen Elizabeth II » | AFP | Friday, May 18, 2012
ABC NEWS: Tensions over Queen's regal jubilee lunch » | AFP | Friday, May 18, 2012
AFP: Bahrain king will attend Diamond Jubilee lunch: WINDSOR, United Kingdom — The king of Bahrain, whose regime has been accused of rights abuses, was among nearly 50 foreign royals at a lunch Friday to mark the diamond jubilee of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. ¶ King Hamad, whose Gulf island country is in a state of civil unrest following a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, would attend the event at Windsor Castle, British officials confirmed. ¶ The invitations for the biggest gathering of foreign royalty in Britain since last year's wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton have thrown up several diplomatic headaches. » | AFP | Friday, May 18, 2012
THE PERISCOPE POST: Who’s coming to Queen Elizabeth’s Jubilee Lunch for Monarchs? : The Queen’s hosting a Jubilee lunch for monarchs, reigning and not. But what will they talk about? Carl-Gustav’s sex scandals? Fish with the Emperor of Japan? Will they bring up human rights issues with the King of Bahrain? Or maybe they’ll just have a jolly good time saying “Off with their heads!” » | Periscope Writer | Friday, May 18, 2012 Related »
