Elton John and David Furnish marry in one of England’s first gay ceremonies

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Sir Elton John and his partner David Furnish have become one of the first couples in England and Wales to marry in a Civil Partnership ceremony.

The pop star and his film producer boyfriend David Furnish have been in a relationship for twelve years and had planned to hold a relatively low-key ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. Whilst the ceremony itself was a private affair, thousands of fans and the world’s media cheered the couple on. The hall was the venue for one of the years other key wedding: the marriage of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall.

Sir Elton and Mr Furnish, who both were wearing relatively sober morning suits waved to the crowds as they entered the venue, and were seen to mouth “thank you” to those who had braved the winter weather to cheer them on.

Following the ceremony, the couple returned to their multi million pound home to hold a banquet for 700 guests including: Victoria Beckham, Joan Collins, George Michael, Elizabeth Hurley, Hugh Grant, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger and Donatella Versace.

One celebrity not attending will be Madonna, which has infuriated Sir Elton who was yesterday quoted as saying: “Madonna, the miserable cow, wouldn’t do it. David asked her three times.”

Last month Sir Elton revealed that American TV producers offered £6m to televise the event, but the pop star refused saying: “our relationship isn’t up for grabs. Our love is sacred to us. It doesn’t come with a price tag.”

Sir Elton and Mr Furnish are among 700 gay couples joining in a civil partnership across the country today.