Rightwing leader's self-nomination accepted because of his position as an MEP
The far-right politician, a representative for the north-west of England in the European parliament, intends to take three members of his family to the event on 22 July.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: "He [Griffin] was eligible to nominate himself as a guest as an elected member of the European parliament. Buckingham Palace would not discriminate against elected representatives of the European parliament."
Griffin withdrew from a similar event last year after a public outcry greeted the news of his possible attendance. He claimed he had changed his mind about going to the palace to save the Queen from embarrassment.
He revealed the details of his latest invitation at a dinner with party supporters over the weekend.
Gerry Gable, publisher of the anti-racism magazine Searchlight, said the Queen had been "put on the spot" by Griffin's status as an MEP.
"I don't see any way she could leave him off the list but it's incumbent on all the other MEPs who are attending this event to treat him like a political pariah. They should ignore him," said Gable. He added that Griffin's family should be treated in the same manner as they were also involved in the BNP.
Griffin announced earlier this month that he would be standing down as BNP leader in 2013. The announcement was seen as a means of deflecting criticism and facing off a potential leadership challenge in the wake of the party's disastrous performance in last month's elections.
Griffin was beaten into third place in the parliamentary seat of Barking, trailing Labour's Margaret Hodge by 18,000 votes. Of the party's 28 sitting councillors who stood for re-election, all but two lost.
Griffin planned to attend a Buckingham palace garden party last year as the guest of Richard Barnbrook, a BNP member of the London assembly. But Jeff Jacobs, the deputy chief executive of the Greater London authority, warned Barnbrook he could be barred unless he agreed to take another guest.
The BNP leader pulled out of attending the event saying he had "no wish to embarrass the Queen" but described the pressure exerted on Barnbrook as outrageous.
The Guardian
