Queen forced to cancel opening Arsenal stadium
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-10-27 09:12 LONDON - Britain's Queen
Elizabeth cancelled plans to open Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium on Thursday
because of a strained muscle in her back.
Ken Friar, the long-time Arsenal club secretary and a driving force behind
the development of the 60,000 all-seater stadium, confirmed that she had pulled
out.
"The Queen has injured her back and can't be with us," he said ahead of the
opening of the stadium in north London.
A spokeswoman at Buckingham Palace said "there is no cause for concern" for
the 80-year-old monarch, who has just returned from a three-country trip to the
Baltic states.
The Queen had been scheduled to meet Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and
captain Thierry Henry on a tour of the ground.
Prince Philip later officially opened the 390 million pounds ($734.9 million)
stadium in north London where he was introduced to the Arsenal squad by France
striker Henry.
Buckingham Palace said the Queen had sustained the back injury while staying
at her Balmoral country residence.
"It has not improved during a busy two weeks of engagements," the spokeswoman
added.
"Doctors advised Her Majesty to reduce her workload today and will review her
progress on a daily basis," she added.
Arsenal began playing at the new stadium in July with an opening match
against Ajax Amsterdam after leaving their former home at Highbury at the end of
last season.
They had moved there in 1913 after beginning life in south London. The club
was formed by workers at the Royal Arsenal in 1886 and after initially using the
name Dial Square taken from one of the workshops there, were then known as Royal
Arsenal from 1886 to 1891.
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