Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrive in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. The royal couple are on a three-nation tour of the Gulf. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
The Associated Press
MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) - Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla arrived Tuesday in the tiny island nation of Bahrain and met with its king and crown prince as part of their three-nation Gulf tour.
An honor guard and Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa greeted the royal pair at Sakhir Air Base. From there, they saw Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at a nearby palace.
But while British and Bahraini flags flew along their route at sunset, nearby police vehicles with windows covered in chicken wire betrayed the low-level unrest that's been gripping the island for years.
Activists have criticized Bahrain's rulers for a recent crackdown on dissent at a level unseen since the 2011 Arab Spring. Activists have been forced into exile, while others have been stripped of their citizenship. The country's largest Shiite opposition group has been shut down by the Sunni-led government.
The royal couple did not address Prince Harry's condemnation of the media on Tuesday for subjecting his girlfriend Meghan Markle to "a wave of abuse and harassment" in a highly unusual letter from a British royal.
Prince Charles and Camilla already have visited Oman and the United Arab Emirates on their three-nation tour of the Gulf. While in the UAE on Tuesday, the two visited Dubai's International Humanitarian City, while Prince Charles saw Dubai's site for hosting the coming 2020 World Expo, or world's fair.
The couple's weeklong trip ends Friday.
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Associated Press writer Malak Harb contributed to this report.
Britain's Prince Charles speaks to Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa upon arriving to Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, seen behind the two princes, are on a three-nation tour of the Gulf. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
The Associated Press
Britain's Prince Charles speaks to Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa upon arriving to Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Prince Charles and his wife Camilla are on a three-nation tour of the Gulf. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
The Associated Press
Britain's Prince Charles speaks to Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, while his wife Camilla talks with Sheikh Hessa Al Khalifa in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. The British royal couple are on a three-nation tour of the Gulf. Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is pictured in the painting behind them. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
The Associated Press
A Bahraini honor guard awaits the arrival of Britain's Prince Charles and his wife Camilla in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. The royal couple are on a three-nation tour of the Gulf. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)
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Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Haya of Jordan, right, visit the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Haya of Jordan, right, visit the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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Britain's Prince Charles talks with Princess Haya of Jordan during his visit to the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall, walks with Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State and managing director of Dubai World Expo 2020, during a visit to the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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Britain's Prince Charles addresses the audience during his visit of the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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Britain's Prince Charles arrives for a visit to the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
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Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall shares a laugh with a representative from the World Health Organization during her visit of the International Humanitarian City in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Prince Charles and Camilla will travel to Bahrain on Tuesday, the last leg of their weeklong three-nation tour of the Gulf after earlier visiting Oman. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press
Britain's Prince Charles takes a look at the site planned for Expo 2020, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2016. Prince Charles and Camilla will travel to Bahrain on Tuesday, the last leg of their weeklong three-nation tour of the Gulf after earlier visiting Oman. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)
The Associated Press