Thierry Henry has admitted he was so nervous when meeting the Queen that he forgot the name of teammate Julio Baptista.
Henry was Arsenal captain when the London side were invited to Buckingham Palace in 2007. The French forward's role as skipper meant he was tasked with introducing the monarch to the Gunners' players, but he drew a blank at the first hurdle.
In footage which has resurfaced after the Queen's death at the age of 96, the former Barcelona star can be seen preparing to introduce the Gunners' 2006-07 squad one by one. And this week, while reflecting on his experiences meeting royalty, Henry shed some more light on the situation.
"I had the opportunity to meet the Queen and I was nervous as hell," Henry told CBS. "I remember thinking like I'm about to play a game or something.
"When you are at Buckingham Palace and you are meeting the Queen... I looked at Julio Baptista there and I forgot his name! I was like 'who is that?'
"Then I'm like 'oh, Julio Baptista from Brazil', then I went with Gilberto Silva, but I was just nervous. You know when you're nervous you want to go back in your own language? I don't think if I'd spoken French it would have worked."
Despite hailing from France, Henry revealed he has a lot of admiration for the Queen based on the eight years he spent playing for Arsenal. The 44-year-old played more than 350 times for the Gunners during his career, winning two Premier League titles, and still considers himself a Londoner after spending time living in the city since hanging up his boots.
"It's been difficult for me to talk about her in the past tense, but it is what it is. What she stood for, what she did represent for the country..." he continued.
"I'm French, I'm proud to be French and if you say something about France I will always jump on you and have a go. But I'm a Londoner, so I kind of understood what it was, what the Royal Family was, and what she did represent, and I have only respect for her.
"It was a great moment. I was nervous, as you saw, but I think everyone is still mourning and everyone is still taking about it - it's fresh in everybody's mind and I think it will be for a long time."
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has also spoken of his admiration for the Queen. Wenger was halfway through his 22-year Gunners tenure when he and the players met the monarch.
"In an ever-changing world, throughout her reign, her sense of duty, and dedication to keeping the nation united are qualities I had huge respect and admiration for," he wrote.
"The tributes that have been paid by people from all walks of life from around the world, demonstrate how much she meant, to so many. I would like to send my condolences to the Royal Family, and to all those who are in mourning today."
