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18/05/2012
Queen's Lunch Guestlist Attracts Criticism
A lunch being hosted by The Queen has been criticised for its guestlist.
Some of those expected at Windsor Castle later include the King of Bahrain and Swaziland's King Mswati III.
Critics accuse Bahrain of human rights abuses and say King Mswati lives in luxury while his people go hungry.
Campaigner Peter Tatchell criticised The Queen for inviting "royal tyrants to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee".
The Foreign Office said it was having "a full and frank discussion on a range of issues" with Bahrain's government.
Buckingham Palace said it will not comment on the lunch.
It will be followed by an evening banquet, hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Not all the monarchs will be at both events.
Mr Tatchell said the invitations were "a shocking misjudgement" that showed the Queen was "out of touch with the humanitarian values of most British people".
"Inviting blood-stained despots brings shame to our monarchy and tarnishes the Diamond Jubilee celebrations," he said.
"It is a kick in the teeth to pro-democracy campaigners and political prisoners in these totalitarian royal regimes."
BBC diplomatic correspondent, Bridget Kendall, says that two problems always hung over this Diamond Jubilee lunch list - the possibility of protests at the inclusion of the despots and non democrats among the invited crowned heads of states, and the risk of diplomatic spats intervening.
(H)
Some of those expected at Windsor Castle later include the King of Bahrain and Swaziland's King Mswati III.
Critics accuse Bahrain of human rights abuses and say King Mswati lives in luxury while his people go hungry.
Campaigner Peter Tatchell criticised The Queen for inviting "royal tyrants to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee".
The Foreign Office said it was having "a full and frank discussion on a range of issues" with Bahrain's government.
Buckingham Palace said it will not comment on the lunch.
It will be followed by an evening banquet, hosted by Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Not all the monarchs will be at both events.
Mr Tatchell said the invitations were "a shocking misjudgement" that showed the Queen was "out of touch with the humanitarian values of most British people".
"Inviting blood-stained despots brings shame to our monarchy and tarnishes the Diamond Jubilee celebrations," he said.
"It is a kick in the teeth to pro-democracy campaigners and political prisoners in these totalitarian royal regimes."
BBC diplomatic correspondent, Bridget Kendall, says that two problems always hung over this Diamond Jubilee lunch list - the possibility of protests at the inclusion of the despots and non democrats among the invited crowned heads of states, and the risk of diplomatic spats intervening.
(H)
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