Bahrain’s crown prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa declined his invitation to attend Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding, citing his country’s unrest and its ability to “tarnish the celebration,” the AP reports today. Al Khalifa is a member of Bahrain’s Sunni ruling family, which has recently waged a wide-ranging crackdown against Shiite protesters calling for more freedoms, so turning down the invitation “helped to avoid a potentially awkward situation during the April 29 wedding.” Fair enough. Imagine running into someone who has rightly accused you of tyrannically suppressing your own people, while you’re just trying to order your fourth vodka-tonic and flirt with the bartender? Awk-ward. [AP via Google]
