It was a memorable day for Arsenal at Buckingham Palace in February, 2007 – but why were they there?

"It’s quite big, you could play a good football match here."

Those were the words of Arsene Wenger as he and the rest of the Arsenal squad pulled up in the team coach at Buckingham Palace in February, 2007.

They were there at the invitation of Her Majesty The Queen and were treated to an experience no other club football team has ever been privileged to.

But why were they there? What was it all about?

This is the story of the day the Queen invited Arsenal round for tea.

Why did the Queen invite Arsenal to Buckingham Palace?

Arsenal had moved from Highbury to Emirates Stadium in 2006, ending a 93-year stay in their iconic north London home.

The short move to the club’s new base at Ashburton Grove was a costly one and to mark the occasion, they wanted a special grand opening. And what would be grander than the Queen cutting the ribbon to officially declare the Emirates open?

It was all agreed, but unfortunately a back injury forced the Queen to cancel on the morning of Thursday, October 26, with Prince Philip doing the honours instead.

While it was still a special occasion for Arsenal, the event was tinged with disappointment – especially as the plaque that Prince Phillip unveiled had already been engraved with the wording ‘officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen’.

But to make up for her late cancellation, the Queen then invited the Arsenal first-team squad and members of the club hierarchy to Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea in February 2007.

AdvertisementWho went?

Thierry Henry was Arsenal captain at the time, so he led what was a relatively young squad to Buckingham Palace.

There were still a few of the old guard from the Invincibles era, such as Freddie Ljungberg, Gilberto Silva and Jens Lehmann.

But there were plenty of young faces on show, with the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Just Hoyte, Denilson and Theo Walcott all present.

Wenger was there of course, as were Arsenal’s chairman at the time, Peter Hill-Wood, and club director Ken Friar.

What did the players do?

After arriving by coach, the Arsenal squad was greeted by the Buckingham Palace doormen and the players made their way inside.

They were then met by royal collections expert Desmond Shawe-Taylor, who took them around the Palace for a private tour of the state apartments.

The event was captured by a BBC documentary, with Shawe-Taylor admitting he was ‘nervous’ to be coming face to face with some of the Arsenal squad.

"I’m not usually doing it for superstars," he said. "I’m trying to remember my words when Thierry Henry is facing me. I feel like a defender."

After the guided tour the squad then gathered in one of the main rooms for their afternoon tea and waited for the Queen.

What did they eat?

As you would expect given the surroundings, it was far from your average tea menu.

There were plenty of tasty delights on offer for the Arsenal squad, including Montgomery cheddar and fig chutney on granary, roast beef and dijon mustard on sweetened brioche, smoked salmon and cucumber on royal crown tortano bread and roast beef on brioche. 

There was also a selection of clotted cream and jam scones, fresh fruit tartlets, chocolate cake and pistachio macaroons.

Most things went down very well, although goalkeeper Manuel Almunia struggled a bit when it came to quenching his thirst.

"I don’t really like tea," he said. "But you have to do it here."