Bahrain crown prince declines royal wedding invitations
The crown prince made the announcement that he had to decline the Royal wedding invitation due to the ongoing conflict in his country clarifying what he calls ‘misrepresentation’ of the actual reasons of his absence at the much-anticipated wedding.
The continued unrest in Bahrain has prompted Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa of Bahrain to turn down the Royal Wedding invitations sent by the Royal family.
The crown prince made the announcement that he had to decline the Royal wedding invitation due to the ongoing conflict in his country clarifying what he calls ‘misrepresentation’ of the actual reasons of his absence at the much-anticipated wedding.
According to the Agence France Presse, a statement from the Bahrain’s crown prince indicated his “regrets” to miss the wedding and expressed hopes that the “situation [in Bahrain] improves before the wedding”.
The Prince clarified in a statement from his Manama office that he "clearly sought to involve my potential attendance as a political proxy for wider matters involving Bahrain."
Earlier reports have it that the Crown Prince decided to reject the invitation “to avoid embarrassment after a bloody crackdown on mainly Shiite Muslim protesters in Sunni-ruled Bahrain” leaving 24 people dead, according Agence France Presse.
The crown prince’s invitation has earlier put the Royal couple in a bad light after being criticized for inviting leaders from countries like Bahrain where protests have escalated in the last few weeks.
The office of Prince William confirmed al-Khalifa’s announcement.
"We were informed this morning that the crown prince of Bahrain would not attend the wedding, and that the Kingdom of Bahrain would not send anyone in the crown prince's place," the Agence France Presse quoted Prince William’s press secretary in a statement.
The statement from the Prince’s office noted, "The decision was theirs to make, and is theirs to explain.”
It added: "With regard the initial invitation, we followed long-standing protocol in inviting the crowned heads of the world, and we have sought Foreign Office advice."
The Buckingham Palace released a list of confirmed guests Saturday which included celebrities and other political and church leaders.
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