(18 May 2012) STORY
Britain has come under criticism for inviting the king of Bahrain, whose Gulf state has been engaged in a brutal crackdown on political dissent, to a lunch on Friday celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee.
The lunch in Windsor Castle was the largest gathering of foreign royals in Britain since Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, Prince William, was married to Kate Middleton last year.
Then, as now, the decision to extend an invitation to members of the Bahraini royal family has angered whose who are upset by the deadly violence deployed against demonstrators since protests erupted in the Gulf state.
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa eventually skipped the royal wedding, saying he didn't want the controversy to tarnish the couple's happy day.
But on Friday Buckingham Palace confirmed that his father, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, attended the queen's lunch, along with some 45 other royal guests from around the world.
The Foreign Office, which advised Buckingham Palace on the invitations, said that Britain's ties to Bahrain allowed UK officials to talk frankly with the strategic island nation's rulers about "a range of issues including those where we have concerns."
Al Khalifa wasn't the only controversial guest dining at Windsor Castle.
Swaziland's King Mswati III, who is accused of living in luxury while his people go hungry, also attended the lunch.
Other guests included Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands; Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan; the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani and Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Nawwaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry also attended the lunch.
The Diamond Jubilee marks 60 years of Elizabeth's reign as Britain's monarch.

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