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Unpopular kings give sour taste to Queen's jubilee lunch
A celebratory lunch at Windsor to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth's reign has been marred by a row over the guest list, with campaigners criticising the invitation to monarchs from countries like Bahrain and Swaziland with allegedly poor governance record.
The Queen was joined at the table by 26 kings and queens from around the world, while Queen Sofia of Spain declined the royal invitation due to a dispute over fishing rights off Gibraltar, a UK territory claimed by Spain.
Among the guests is King Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain, whose attendance has been criticised by human rights campaigners, but the Buckingham Palace said that the Foreign Office approved the invitation of King Hamad. The Foreign Office said it was having "a full and frank discussion on a range of issues" with Bahrain government.
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Unpopular kings give sour taste to Queen's jubilee lunch
Also controversial is the invitation to King Mswati III of Swaziland, who is accused of living a lavish lifestyle while his people go hungry.
Campaigner Peter Tatchell criticised the Queen for inviting "royal tyrants to celebrate her Diamond Jubilee", and termed the invitation to the kings of Bahrain and Swaziland was "a shocking misjudgement".
He told BBC: "Inviting blood stained despots brings shame to our monarchy and tarnishes the Diamond Jubilee celebrations".
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Unpopular kings give sour taste to Queen's jubilee lunch
Mohammed Sadiq, spokesperson for Justice of Bahrain, told the BBC that he fully supported the Diamond Jubilee celebrations, but did not understand what has changed in Bahrain to prompt the Queen to invite King Hamad.
Sadiq said: "How would the British feel if the Queen had invited Saddam Hussein or Colonel Gaddafi to such an occasion?" Anti-monarchist campaign group Republic believes the Queen and her aides have made a "catastrophic error of judgement" in inviting the Bahrani King.
The lunch will be followed by an evening banquet, hosted by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.
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Unpopular kings give sour taste to Queen's jubilee lunch
The menu at the royal lunch was reported to be "British-inspired".
For starters, the royals were treated to a tartlet of poached egg with English asparagus.
This was followed by a main course of new season Windsor Lamb with braised potatoes, artichokes, peas, carrots, broad beans, cabbage, and a tomato and basil salad.
Kent strawberries and vanilla Charlotte concluded the meal, with dessert fruit and cheese also on offer.
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