Beckham's 'Party of the Year' a wash-out say reports

May 22, 2006, 15:01 GMT

London - David and Victoria Beckham's 500,000-pound (940,000-dollar) party to mark the forthcoming Football World Cup turned out to be a bit of a wash-out, according to British tabloids Monday.

The charity gala Sunday night at the Beckham's Sawbridgeworth mansion in Hertfordshire, north-east of London, held under the motto 'Full Length and Fabulous,' barely spluttered into life after a catalogue of disasters, the Daily Mail reported.

Soon after guests arrived, the heavens opened and the sprawling marquee in the large grounds of 'Beckingham Palace' was drowned in torrential rain.

Earlier, a flypast by Royal Airforce Battle of Britain planes, which was meant to mark the opening of the event, was cancelled in the last minute following protests from war veterans and football fans.

They had argued that a flight demonstration of that kind was 'insensitive' in the in the run-up to the World Cup in Germany.

Four former RAF pilots were booked privately instead for a display of aerial acrobatics.

Among the 500 guests were England stars Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, Ashley Cole, Gary Neville, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Paul Robinson.

Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and her daughter Princess Beatrice also made it, as did new Conservative leader David Cameron and his wife, Samantha.

Top-model Kate Moss, Robbie Williams, former Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne and England manager Sven Goran Eriksson came, but many of the star guests failed to turn up.

Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall and Princes Harry and William had more pressing arrangements, as did Sir Elton John, who with his partner, David Furnish, was attending an Aids Foundation event Nice.

The King of Spain declined despite Victoria's efforts to encourage him to the Spanish-themed event. He was at a awards event in Barcelona.

Up for grabs at a charity auction were a one-million-pound diamond Asprey necklace, a limited edition Bentley worth 300,000 pounds, 40,000-pound Harley-Davidson and 600,000 pounds' worth of diamond-encrusted his and hers watches from Jacob & Co.