Antonio Conte reveals Buckingham Palace visit to pay respects to the Queen

Antonio Conte has revealed that he went to Buckingham Palace after the death of Queen Elizabeth II to pay his respects.

On Friday, the Tottenham manager should have been making the final preparations for their Premier League meeting with Manchester City but he admitted that the postponement of that game enabled him to prepare differently for the visit to Lisbon to face Sporting in the Champions League on Tuesday, choosing a stronger side; it also enabled him to experience a “historic” moment that he said he will never forget.

“What happened in England in the last few days is a shock,” Conte said. “She was 96 years old and for me honestly it was very difficult to believe that she had died: in your mind, you think that the Queen is immortal.”

“Unfortunately the Queen is dead. We were all saddened because we are talking about a person whose service for this country was outstanding. At this moment there is a big sadness in the country. I live in London and on Friday, there is an atmosphere and I went to Buckingham Palace like a normal person – because I am a normal person with a heart – to live this situation because for sure I will remember this for the rest of our lives. And then the Premier League took an important decision to stop and shown great respect for the death.”

“We are talking about a situation that will be history in the future,” Conte explained. “To be here in this moment, to live this is for sure a sad moment but a the same time it is a special moment because we are talking about the death of a queen. I will keep this in my heart and my mind for the rest of my life.”

Conte admitted that the postponement of the City match altered his plans for this meeting and insisted again on the need to rotate his squad –