Anti-monarchy pressure group Republic has described the Queen's decision to personally invite the Crown Prince of Bahrain to jubilee events at Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace as “a catastrophic error of judgement” and "deeply offensive".

Republic will be joining Peter Tatchell and Bahrain activists protesting outside Buckingham palace this evening from 5-7pm.

The dictator has been invited to the event alongside other unelected leaders who have presided over severe human rights abuses.

Bahrain's government, dominated by members of its royal family, has orchestrated the violent suppression of pro-democracy protestors. The guest list also includes crowned heads of state and royals from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Brunei, Qatar, Swaziland, Lesotho, Bhutan and Kuwait, all of which have poor human rights records, limited political freedoms and histories of state violence.

Republic's chief executive Graham Smith commented:

"The Queen cannot hide behind protocol and precedent - this is a crisis of her own making. She has sent a very strong signal that the British royal family's number one priority is other royals, even if they are vile thugs who kill, torture and oppress their own people.”

“The British people strongly support the struggle for democracy in the middle east and around the world - this is a catastrophic error of judgement that has already prompted a fierce backlash. The Queen owes a personal apology to all those fighting for freedom in those countries - and to the families of those who have died doing so."

"The Queen's decision to personally invite these tyrants to lunch sends an appalling message to the world, and seriously damages Britain's reputation. Thanks to the Queen's misjudgement, her jubilee will forever be associated with some of the most repressive regimes in the world."