May 16, 2012, Queen Sophia of Spain has refused an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II of England.
Initially Sophia accepted an invitation to Elizabeth’s celebration of 60 years on the British throne, but the Spanish government protested forcing Sophia to cancel.
The protest is over who controls the island of Gibraltar. Spain lost the islands to the British in 1713. The Spanish government argues that the 1713 deal did not include the entire island.
Spain is also supporting Argentina in its claim against the British for the Malvinas islands (Falklands). The United Nations recently ruled that Gibraltar and Malvinas are two of ten areas that the United Kingdom illegally occupies.