UNITED KINGDOM: Sir Elton Elton John and long-term partner David Furnish tie the knot at a civil ceremony in Windsor

British pop star Elton John tied the knot with long-term partner David Furnish on Wednesday December), joining hundreds of gay couples across England taking advantage of a new law to formalise their relationships. After a short civil ceremony, the celebrity couple emerged into the sunlight and greeted hundreds of cheering well-wishers and the world's press, who had brought the cobbled streets of the royal town of Windsor to a standstill. "Thank you," a beaming John mouthed to the crowds, as he stood with his arm round Canadian-born Furnish. Two young women rushed up to the couple and presented them with a wedding cake outside the Guildhall, the same building where heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles married Camilla Parker Bowles earlier in the year. The normally flamboyant pair surprised some pundits by wearing traditional black morning suits. The civil partnership ceremony was a small, private affair, attended by a handful of friends and with the couple's parents acting as witnesses. The men were whisked away in a black Rolls-Royce escorted by police outriders, and will host 700 guests at a lavish evening party in the grounds of John's nearby estate. Guests are expected to include former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and singers George Michael and Rod Stewart. Among those offering congratulations was Prime Minister Tony Blair who said: "I wish him and David well, and all the other people exercising their rights under the civil partnerships law. "I think it is a modern, progressive step forward for the country and I am proud we did it," he told reporters at his monthly news conference. Although gay couples across the UK are happy with the move, it took a long time to realise. "We've been more of less fighting for this for the last forty years, us two. '67 we started with marches in Wimbledon called chai (phoenetic - CHE Campaign for Homosexual Equality), you probably never heard of it. There was eightteen of us and then it went on to the gay pride marches. And basically, it has come to this, in forty years, which I think is brilliant," explained Bob Charles. "I think it's a good day for everyone, especially in the gay world," added his partner Roy Williams. "He has been happy with David and I think it's nice to think that they've made it legal and that's fine as I am concerned," said Joan Harris. Other well-known figures sealing same-sex partnerships included stage actor Antony Sher and director Greg Doran, who exchanged their vows in London. In the south coast resort of Brighton, unofficial "gay capital" of England, three couples had their relationships recognised as soon as the register office opened. The new civil partnership law gives gay couples the same property and inheritance rights as married heterosexuals and entitles them to the same pension, immigration and tax benefits. But unlike in Belgium, Spain and Canada it is not a marriage. Wednesday is the first day same-sex couples can go through with gay "weddings" in England, two days after they began in Northern Ireland. A handful of Christian groups denounced the new legislation. "This is an absolute abomination and an affront to decency," said Stephen Green, national director of Christian Voice. "Ordinary people, when they see these disgusting images of homosexuals kissing in a kind of parody of real weddings, are going to be disgusted." But there were no signs of disapproval in Windsor on Wednesday, only a giant cartoon held up by one well-wisher depicting Queen Elizabeth, whose castle overlooks the town, saying: "I thought I was the only queen in the village." Foreign TV networks were out in force for the event. Two German channels treated viewers to live coverage of the couple waving to well-wishers. German all-news network N-24 replaced its usual stream of news headlines with "Eilmeldung: Elton hat 'ja' gesagt" (Newsflash: Elton says 'yes'). The crowds didn't dwindle for the newleywed's reception later in the evening, with a reported 700 guests entertained at the lavish party which was held in a huge marquee on John's 12 million British pound mansion in Old Windsor. A celebrity traffic jam ensued, with stars from the film entertainment, sport, and music world forced to wait in cars that lined the road outside John's property. John, with estimated sales of 200 million records worldwide and performer of classic hits including "Your Song" and "Candle in the Wind", previously married Renate Blauel in 1984 but they divorced four years later.

ITN Source | December 21, 2005

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