The people of Turku had another day of anticipation and excitement on Tuesday, with the arrival of footballer David Beckham's wife Victoria to support her husband after his Monday operation on a damaged achilles tendon.
The public actually saw very little of Ms. Beckham as she was whisked from the airport to the downtown Mehiläinen clinic with a degree more discipline and organisation than had accompanied the footballer's arrival.
The exact time of landing of the private jet carrying the former Spice Girls singer was kept under wraps by the civil aviation authorities in order to avoid a scrum at the airport in Turku, and a police escort for her limousine van ensured that cameramen only caught the most fleeting of glimpses as she arrived at the hospital.
A few dozen fans were on hand in addition to members of the media.
Victoria Beckham travelled to Finland alone, and without the couple's three children, who remained in Los Angeles.
David Beckham is recovering after having been operated on by orthopaedic specialist Dr. Sakari Orava for a torn achilles tendon, an injury that will certainly keep him out of the England World Cup squad in South Africa in June.
Beckham himself has thanked the medical staff and hopes to make a full recovery and to continue his playing career.
The couple are expected to leave Finland sometime today.
UPDATED 14:55Beckhams leave Finland in private jet
Finland can return to normality after a couple of days of attention from the sports pages and entertainment columns, as David and Victoria Beckham have now left the country in a private jet bound apparently for London.
The couple flew out from Turku on Wednesday afternoon, without making any statement to the media.
Beckham himself has thanked the surgeon Sakari Orava and his staff for their work through his website, and in return Orava has noted that the footballer was a model patient throughout.
