|
Spain's Queen Sophia has pulled out of the event at Windsor Castle,west of London, amid tensions over Gibraltar, while there wereprotests over the invite of Swaziland's King Mswati III. Rights groups are also angered that the guest list, released byBuckingham Palace on Friday, includes Bahrain's King Hamad, whoseGulf island country is in a state of civil unrest following adeadly crackdown on protests. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The sovereigns lunch is amatter for Buckingham Palace, but we understand all reigningsovereigns have been invited. "The jubilee celebrations are about marking 60 years of the queen'sreign, they are not a political event. "The palace is not releasing further details, including details ofthe guest list, until the day of the engagement." Queen Sofia, the consort of King Juan Carlos, cancelled her tripdue to tensions with Britain over the tiny Gibraltar peninsula,which Spain ceded to Britain in perpetuity in 1713. Last week Madrid protested to London over a planned June 11-13jubilee visit to Gibraltar on behalf of Queen Elizabeth by heryoungest son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Countess of Wessex. "The government considers it is hardly adequate that in the currentcircumstances, Queen Sofia take part in Queen Elizabeth's jubilee,"a spokesman for the Spanish royal household said Wednesday. The Spanish king and queen were due to attend the Windsor lunch,which is being held to mark Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne, butKing Juan Carlos had already pulled out, recovering from hipreplacement surgery after a fall during an elephant huntingexpedition in Africa. After the lunch, Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne,and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are hosting a dinnerfor the foreign sovereign monarchs at Buckingham Palace in London. Not all the sovereigns are attending both events. Japan's Emperor Akihito -- who attended Queen Elizabeth'scoronation in 1953 -- and Empress Michiko are going. They visitedthe Kyoto Garden in London's Holland Park on Thursday. On Wednesday, a group of Swazis living in Britain protested outsideLondon's luxurious Savoy Hotel, where King Mswati was said to bestaying with an entourage of more than 30 people. Swaziland Vigil co-ordinator Thobile Gwebu said that in contrastSwazis had been reduced to eating cow dung. She said Swazis in Britain did not want to spoil the jubileecelebrations but had written to Queen Elizabeth, asking her toinfluence King Mswati. Meanwhile former Europe minister Denis MacShane blasted the ForeignOffice -- thought to have assisted on logistical matters -- for notstopping King Hamad's invite. The Bahraini regime "has done such terrible things to its ownpeople since the Arab awakening a year ago", he said. "For too long we have turned a blind eye to the repression carriedout under the rule of royals in Arabia." The Foreign Office "should protect the British queen rather thanexpose her to having to dine with a despot". Prominent rights campaigner Peter Tatchell went further, sayingthat "inviting blood-stained despots brings shame to our monarchyand tarnishes the diamond jubilee celebrations". He said the monarchs of Brunei, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, SaudiArabia, Swaziland and the United Arab Emirates all "preside overregimes that abuse human rights". Queen Elizabeth, 86, and her husband Prince Philip, 90, visitednorthwest England on Thursday as part of their jubilee tour ofBritain. They took a trip round the Albert Dock in Liverpool in anamphibious "Yellow Duckmarine". The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as Drilling Mud Pumps Manufacturer , Drill Pipe Casing Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Wireline Core Barrel today!
Related Articles -
Drilling Mud Pumps Manufacturer, Drill Pipe Casing Manufacturer,
|
