RAF flypast for Beckham cup party

A Spitfire, a Hurricane and a Lancaster will open the event at the couple's Hertfordshire mansion on Sunday.

The England football captain and his wife have organised the party as a send-off for his team-mates before the World Cup in Germany this summer.

An RAF spokesman said: "It was thought to be a fitting way for the RAF to show its support for the England squad."

The three planes were already scheduled to appear at an air show organised by the Imperial War Museum at Duxford in Cambridgeshire before returning to their base at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

As the aircraft would be flying back at about the same time as the Beckhams' party the RAF offered to make a minor detour to open the event.

World Cup spirit

The planes will be accompanied by a private aerobatic display team, The Blades, which had already been hired by the Beckhams.

A spokesman for The Blades said they worked closely with the Civil Aviation Authority, the National Air Traffic Service and Stansted Airport, which is near the Beckhams' home, to make the flights possible.

"In the spirit of the World Cup, the authorities have granted special permission for the aerial event to occur in their congested controlled airspace," he said.

Some 500 celebrities are expected to attend the Full Length and Fabulous Ball, at which pop star Robbie Williams is due to perform.

An unnamed person has successfully bid £103,000 for two tickets to attend the event, with the proceeds going to children's charity the NSPCC.

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