UNITED KINGDOM: Elton John set for civil partnership ceremony with long time partner David Furnish in Windsor

Pop star Elton John plans to marry his long term partner David Furnish on December 21, the first day that civil partnerships between gay couples become possible in England. The ceremony will be held in Windsor's Guildhall registry office. In a recent interview with Attitude magazine, John said the ceremony would be a small, private affair involving only himself and Furnish and their parents acting as witnesses. "Out of respect for their (our parents') support, we want to just keep it small -- not to make a ballyhoo of the ceremony," he told the gay lifestyle magazine. "There will be a party somewhere, but the day will be very low key and we'll take our parents to lunch afterwards." The Civil Partnership Act allows same-sex couples to effectively marry. Couples who want to wed under the act must post a notification at a registry office first, meaning that the first such ceremonies in England will take place on December 21. Elton John and Canadian-born David Furnish have been together for around 12 years. The 58-year-old singer, one of the most successful solo artists in pop history with classics including "Your Song" and "Candle in the Wind", previously married Renate Blauel in 1984 but they divorced four years later. John's publicist said earlier this year that one of the main reasons John and Furnish wanted to formalise their relationship was financial, with civil partnerships giving partners tax breaks available to married couples.

ITN Source | December 21, 2005

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