10:56pm UK, Sunday April 24, 2011
The Crown Prince of Bahrain will not be attending the royal wedding on Friday, defusing a potentially embarassing row over his invitation.
Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa has turned down the invite
Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa was one of the hundreds of dignitaries from around the world on the guest list that was made public yesterday.
He had been expected to see William and Kate exchange vows at Westminster Abbey, but organisers were today informed he will not attend.
In a letter declining the invitation, the Crown Prince blamed the decision on the continuing unrest in the Gulf Kingdom.
But it was unclear whether diplomatic pressure had also been applied after the invitation sparked uproar from human rights campaigners in the UK.
The Crown Prince criticised the British media claiming it had "clearly sought to involve my potential attendance as a political proxy for wider matters involving Bahrain".
The Gulf state has cracked down violently on democracy protests in recent months.
Weeks of disturbances prompted the Bahraini King to impose martial law and invite in foreign troops during mid-march to help impose order.
There have been reports that dozens of doctors have been detained by government security forces targeting medical staff who have treated injured protesters.
Human rights campaigners called on Britain's royal family to withdraw the wedding invite.
The demand followed calls by the British government for Bahrain to respect human rights, urging it last week to investigate reports of deaths in custody and torture.
A Clarence House spokesman said: "We were informed this morning that the Crown Prince of Bahrain will no longer be attending, and the royal family will not be sending a representative."
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