- The Observer, Sunday May 5 2002
As part of her three-month Golden Jubilee tour, the Queen will meet some members of the England squad on Friday at the National Sports Centre in Bisham Abbey, Buckinghamshire, before they depart for for the finals on May 17th.
A Buckingham Palace official confirmed last night: 'Players have been asked to attend. The Queen is excited about the World Cup. She knows there is huge interest.'
The tournament starts on 31 May. England's first match, against Sweden, takes place on Sunday 2 June, in the middle of the four-day jubilee weekend. Giant TV screens to be erected in Hyde Park to transmit jubilee concerts from the gardens of Buckingham Palace will be used - with the Queen's approval - to screen the match.
Most of the England players will be unavailable for the Royal appointment due to playing commitments, but Beckham will be able to attend, subject to his medical treatment. He still hopes to recover in time for the tournament.
The Queen has followed the injury to Beckham's metatarsal bone with interest. She has suggested that her grand-daughter Zara Phillips, newly qualified as a physiotherapist, might assist.
In 1998, the Queen watched England's World Cup match against Argentina. When a goal headed by Sol Campbell was disallowed, she was reported to have thrown up her hands and cried: 'One is not amused by that.'
