Jacksonville Jaguars visit Buckingham Palace for tea during London trip
Owner Shahid Khan and five Jaguars players visited the palace on Oct. 13. The royal family later welcomed the team publicly ahead of its next London game.
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan and five players visited Buckingham Palace in London for tea on Tuesday, Oct. 13, during the team's trip for two NFL games. The royal family later publicly welcomed the Jaguars, who are scheduled to face the Houston Texans at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 18.
People identified the players as defensive end Josh Hines-Allen, linebacker Foye Oluokun, long snapper Ross Matiscik, offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland and defensive tackle T.J. Bollers. Khan joined them at the palace, where they visited the Centre Room, also known as the Balcony Room.
What happened during the Jaguars' palace visit
Before going inside, the delegation watched the Captain's Inspection from within the palace gates, People reported. A military band played the White Stripes' ‘Seven Nation Army’ and a Stevie Wonder medley. The Centre Room is where members of the royal family gather before appearing on the palace balcony.
Khan reflected on his connection to Britain during the visit. ‘I was an immigrant from Pakistan who benefited from the education which the Commonwealth gave me and my family,’ he said, according to People. People also reported that a video posted by the team showed players looking at paintings and furnishings inside the palace.
The News International reported that the royal family's Instagram story said, ‘Great to welcome the @jaguars to Buckingham Palace earlier this week!’ The team's Instagram carousel showed players posing outside with royal guards and having tea, according to the outlet.
The Jaguars thanked the royal family for its hospitality in the Centre Room. The royal family's account replied in the comments, ‘Thank you for coming!’ The exchange followed the Tuesday visit; neither report identified a member of the royal family as attending the tea.
The visit between two Jaguars games in London
The palace visit came two days after Jacksonville beat the Philadelphia Eagles 19-17 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 11. The Jaguars rallied from behind, with Cam Little kicking a 57-yard field goal in the final seconds. The win took Jacksonville to a 4-1 record, People reported.
Jacksonville's next scheduled game is against Houston at Wembley on Oct. 18, placing the palace reception between the team's London fixtures. The visit brought Khan and several players to one of the city's best-known royal venues during that week of games.
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Sources and context
- Jacksonville Jaguars Get the Royal Treatment with Special Invite for Tea at Buckingham PalacePeople, republished by Yahoo Sports
- Buckingham Palace expresses gratitude towards Jaguars after latest visitThe News International
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.