Even before King Abdullah arrives in London this afternoon, the meticulously planned Saudi state visit to Britain is already on the rocks.

State visits are not supposed to be occasions where leaders resolve disagreements, thrash out new policies or clinch major business deals.

They are carefully choreographed ceremonial events, where Britain puts on its finest regal display to honour its closest allies. Ceremony and protocol are hugely important. Everyone involved is supposed to feel uplifted by the experience.

That is why officials on both sides looked so alarmed this morning by the growing list of controversies surrounding the visit, even before the Saudi monarch and his massive retinue of princes and courtiers arrived at Heathrow in a fleet of five private jets.

First King Abdullah criticised his hosts in an interview with the BBC on Sunday, when he dredged up a long-standing Saudi complaint that Britain was not taking the war on terrorism seriously because it had ignored Saudi warnings of an attack in London before the July 7 suicide bombings in 2005.

British officials quickly denied the allegations.

The disagreement was followed quickly by a diplomatic faux pas committed by David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary. He was supposed to have opened the third UK/Saudi Arabia Two Kingdoms' Dialogue conference at Lancaster House.

The forum is supposed to promote British-Saudi understanding. Mr Miliband cancelled his appearance for personal reasons, because he and his wife were in the process of adopting their second son.

For protocol reasons Prince Saud al-Faisal, the veteran Saudi Foreign Minister, then cancelled his attendance at the conference. His speech was read by Prince Mohamed bin Nawaf, the Saudi Ambassador to London.

In addition to the diplomatic hiccups, the visit is also being criticised by human rights campaigners and Vince Cable, the acting Liberal Democrat leader, has refused to meet King Abdullah, whose country he said had an "absolutely appalling human rights record".

It is now up to the Queen, the Royal Family and Gordon Brown who will now have to salvage this visit after an unpromising start.

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