Turkey’s controversial “sultan” is set to get the full royal treatment from the country’s closest Western ally, the United Kingdom. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be received on Tuesday by Queen Elizabeth II, his first ever audience with the British monarch since he rose to power 16 years ago.

Coming six weeks before critical presidential and parliamentary polls in Turkey and amid global criticism of the country’s abysmal human rights record, the meeting has raised eyebrows.

“Tea with the queen is a pretty good photo op, especially if you are an autocratic president in the midst of a tough race for re-election,” wrote Simon A. Waldman, a British academic and the co-author of “The New Turkey and its Discontents.” In an op-ed for the EU observer, an online news platform, he continued, “This is why British Prime Minister Theresa May's red-carpet treatment is such a boost to Erdogan. And Britain is hoping that this will translate into profit."

Diplomatic observers air similar opinions about Erdogan’s trip, which includes high-profile meetings with May, other royals and today's appearance at the prestigious think tank Chatham House. Marc Pierini, a former European Union ambassador to Ankara and a non-resident fellow at Carnegie Europe, told Al-Monitor the visit “is mutually transactional” and in line with Britain’s’ post-Brexit strategy of re-invigorating alliances with a regional hegemon such as Turkey. And for Turkey, “it is obviously crucial to show that the incumbent president’s international standing does not suffer from the drastic deterioration of the rule of law in the country.”