‘Blood-soaked dictators shame British monarchy’ at jubilee

LONDON: The duke and duchess of Cambridge bowed and curtseyed to the controversial king of Bahrain on Friday at a lunch to celebrate the queen’s diamond jubilee.

Human rights campaigners were horrified that William, Kate and other members of the royal family deferred to Hamad Al-khalifa, whose regime has been accused of violently repressing pro-democracy activists.

The queen, who had been advised by the foreign office on the guest list for the lunch, made a point of personally greeting the king as he arrived at Windsor Castle, although as a fellow head of state she did not have to curtsy to him. The pair even shared a private joke.

The countess of Wessex – heavily criticised recently for accepting two lavish suites of jewels from the king and his family on a trip to the Middle East – also greeted him warmly, while Prince Andrew’s daughters, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, were seen chatting animatedly to the king’s wife, Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al-khalifa.

The lunch for sovereign monarchs at Windsor Castle was possibly the largest gathering of crowned heads of state since the coronation in 1953. All senior members of the UK royal family were present.

The seating plan detailed 24 kings and queens, one emperor, a grand duke and a sultan, along with eight princesses, an emir and an empress.

The more controversial names on the guest list sparked demonstrations outside Buckingham Palace, where Prince Charles last night hosted a black-tie dinner for some of the lunch guests.

The queen, who has spent the last 60 years managing largely to sidestep such political controversy, found herself accused of making a catastrophic error of judgment by entertaining the Bahraini ruler and his wife.

Other guests singled out for criticism included Swaziland’s King Mswati III, who has been accused of living an obscenely lavish lifestyle while many of his people starve.

Similarly Prince Mohammed Bin Nawaf Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, who is also his country’s ambassador to the UK, comes from a part of the world not renowned for its democratic practices.

Foreign office former minister Denis Mcshane said he did not blame the queen personally but accused the foreign office of putting her in an impossible position.

“I don’t underestimate our strategic relationship with Bahrain, but as there are few ways for us to signal our disapproval at what has happening in his country, it would have been far better for William Hague to quietly disinvite this man,” he said.

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said, “Queen Elizabeth II is hosting seven royal tyrants today: Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Brunei, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland.

“Inviting these bloodsoaked dictators brings shame to the monarchy and tarnishes the celebrations. It’s a betrayal of pro-democracy campaigners and political prisoners suffering under these totalitarian regimes.” – Daily Mail