LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth II cancelled a scheduled visit to English Premiership football club Arsenal's new stadium due to a strained muscle in her back, her office said. The 80-year-old monarch - on the throne since 1952 - had been due to officially open the Gunners' new Emirates Stadium in north London, accompanied by her 85-year-old husband Prince Philip. A spokeswoman for her official London residence, Buckingham Palace, said doctors had advised the queen, who sustained the injury two weeks ago at her Scottish country retreat Balmoral, to reduce her workload.
The decision not to attend was taken "reluctantly", she added, although Prince Philip would still attend. The queen - who has recently returned from a tour of the Baltic - had been due to meet Arsenal staff, fans and players, including manager Arsene Wenger and captain Thierry Henry, on a tour of the new multi-million pound facility. A keen horsewoman known for her robust health and stamina, it is rare for the queen to pull out of official engagements.
Last year she cancelled three engagements due to a cold and sore throat while in 2003, she had keyhole surgery after suffering a torn cartilage walking on rough ground during a private visit in eastern England. That led to a reduced schedule as she convalesced from the successful 45-minute operation. Further surgery on her left knee later the same year was combined with a procedure to remove minor growths from her face.
As a new mother in 1949, she caught measles and had to be separated from her baby son and heir Prince Charles but it was not until July 1982 that she was first admitted to hospital, to have a wisdom tooth removed. She was forced to cancel several engagements in 1993 because of flu while in 1994, she broke her left wrist when her horse tripped during a ride on her Sandringham country estate.
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