Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah landed in London yesterday. Jenna Crombie of Newsweek's London bureau watched the Queen greet him. Her report:

Tourists in London were treated to quite a spectacle this afternoon as Queen Elizabeth welcomed King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to Britain. After an official state reception at the Horse Guards Parade Square in Whitehall, the King and Queen traveled to Buckingham Palace together, amidst much pomp and circumstance, in a gilded horse-drawn carriage.

But behind the scenes, controversy lurks. Some British human rights activists, politicians and terrorism experts are furious at the warmth of the Queen’s welcome. Just a few days before his arrival, King Abdullah was widely criticized in the British media after claiming that the Saudis had provided the British with intelligence that could have prevented the July 2005 bombings in London, which killed 52 people. British officials hotly deny the allegation. Abdullah also implied that many countries, including Britain, are not doing enough to fight terrorism--a surprising accusation given that 15 of the September 11 bombers were from Saudi Arabia. The fact that earlier this year an investigation into the allegedly bribery-ridden arms deal between British defense firm BAE and the Saudis in the 1980s was called off has added to misgivings about the visit. And then there’s the shady subject of the Saudi human rights record--three British citizens imprisoned in the country recently claim they were tortured.

Even the newly adopted son of British Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been dragged into the debate. Newborn Jacob’s arrival from the United States this weekend has prevented his doting dad from attending to his ministerial duties, which the Saudis have interpreted as a snub. They’ve retaliated by withdrawing Miliband’s Saudi counterpart, Saud al-Faisal, from scheduled meetings. Looks like it’s going to take more than a royal procession to ensure that this state visit runs smoothly.<>