Queen Elizabeth welcomed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to Britain today amid controversy over the Middle Eastern ruler's stay.
The monarch and the Duke of Edinburgh greeted the leader in London at the start of the first state visit to Britain by a Saudi king for 20 years.
Saudi human rights records and the king's recent remarks about the July 7th terror attacks have heightened controversy over the trip, however.
King Abdullah insisted in a recent BBC interview that Britain was not doing enough to tackle terrorism. The Foreign Office was forced to reject his claims that the Saudi authorities had provided information which could have averted the July 7th attacks.
Human rights groups have urged the British government to put pressure on the king over allegations of torture and subjugation of women in Saudi.
Protesters gathered along The Mall to demonstrate with around 100 human rights and anti-arms trade activists jeering and shouting "Shame on you" as the royal procession went past.
Human rights activist Peter Tatchell said it was "incredible hypocrisy" for ministers to condemn the Burmese and Zimbabwean regimes while saying nothing about human rights abuses in the Saudi Kingdom. He said: "It just shows oil and arms sales seem to have bought the government's silence."
The row over the dropping of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) bribery inquiry into the massive al-Yamamah arms deal continues to simmer as Britain hosts the King's stay.
There were also claims last night that groups linked to the Saudi regime have been distributing hate literature from British mosques. An investigation by think-tank the Policy Exchange found extremist material advocating action such as murdering gays was available at a quarter of mosques.
Most of it was sourced from the Middle Eastern kingdom, it claimed. Liberal Democrat acting leader Vince Cable is boycotting the visit.
At the official welcome ceremony, the Queen and King Abdullah stood together as the Saudi and British national anthems were played.
Speaking in Arabic, Captain of the Guard Major Ben Ramsay then invited the King to review the Guard of Honour. Joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, who was dressed in a top hat, the King inspected the 1st Battalion Welsh Guards in their long grey coats and bearskin hats.
Security was tight for the high-profile ceremony with armed police on guard around the parade ground. At the end of the official welcome, the aueen and King Abdullah boarded the ornate Australian state coach, sitting side by side for the short journey to Buckingham Palace, where the Saudi ruler is staying.
In a carriage procession of two horse drawn coaches and five landau, the royal party, including Philip and Charles, made its way to the royal residence. One of the horses leading the sixth carriage, a Number 1 Ascot Landau carrying among others Prince Turki Bin Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud, bore the name Tolerance. Music from the Star Wars movies was played on the parade ground by the military band prior to the King's arrival.
PA