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Freddie and Thierry sweeten things up at Buckingham Palace

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You don't need to be a football fan to get excited about meeting Calvin Klein model and Arsenal ace Freddie Ljungberg. And Queen Elizabeth certainly seemed to be enjoying herself when she welcomed the chisel-jawed athlete and several of his Arsenal team-mates to her London home on Thursday.

Sipping tea in Buckingham Palace made for a rather different experience to the rough and tumble of premiership football, but the reception was a sweet encounter for the hunky star, who was snapped daintily helping himself to sugar.

Team captain Thierry Henry, who is well-known for his "va-va-voom" ads for automobile company Renault, was also on hand. "It was a major honour to come here and be able to meet the Queen and have a look around," said the 29-year-old. "When I go home, I’m going to say to my little girl that I’ve been to Buckingham Palace."

The French striker, who took charge of introducing the monarch to the rest of the squad, confessed they were all overjoyed when she congratulated them on beating Bolton on Wednesday. "The Queen congratulated us on the win and that was amazing," he revealed. "I mean, the lads inside were over the moon. Even not being an Englishman, what a privilege to see the Queen and come here. It was just a bit too much."

Photo: © Alphapress.com
Obviously affected by his royal surroundings hunky Freddie adds a sugar cube to his tea with dainty finesse. The Queen invited the team to her London home to show her thanks to all those involved in building Arsenal's new stadium, which has become a major new landmark in the capitalPhoto: © EMPICS
Photo: © Alphapress.com
Although the British monarch is not known for her knowledge of football she proved she was up to sporting speed by commenting on the lads' victory over Bolton. Here she chats with (from left) Justin Hoyte, Theo Walcott, Freddie Ljungberg and Thierry HenryPhoto: © EMPICS