They may have lost to the boys from Brazil on Friday but England’s football team will still be coming home heroes – and the Queen plans to thank them personally for a job well done.
Buckingham Palace and Prime Minister Tony Blair each plan to honour the team with invitations to the palace and to Downing Street next month, after their efforts in the World Cup took England to the quarterfinals. It would not be the first time the monarch has taken time out to thank her nations’ footballers – the Queen held a reception for both the England and the Scotland teams after the 1998 World Cup finals in France.
Talks were already underway to find a way for fans to pay tribute to David Beckham, Michael Owen and the rest of the team before they were knocked out 2-1 by Brazil in the first match of the quarterfinals. The Football Association have not commented on the homecoming, but Britain’s Daily Express says there could be an open-top bus tour or a street party in the centre of London.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
