London: Queen Elizabeth II of Britain had to cancel plans to open Arsenal's new Emirates Stadium yesterday because of a strained muscle in her back.
Ken Friar, the long-time club secretary and a driving force behind the development of the impressive 60 000 all-seater venue, 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.
A spokeswoman for Buckingham Palace said "there is no cause for concern" for the 80-year-old monarch, who had just returned from a three-country trip to the Baltic states.
She explained that the Queen had suffered the 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."
Her husband, Prince Philip, later officially opened the $734.
9 million stadium in north London, where he was introduced to the Arsenal squad by France striker Henry.
The Gunners 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.
The club, who had started life in south London in the 1886 as Dial Square and were later known as Woolwich Arsenal, moved to Highbury in 1913.
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