Congratulations! Luxembourg’s PM weds his same-sex partner
Luxembourg’s gay Prime Minister has tied the knot today … but not to his gay Deputy Prime Minister.
The small European country – which has a population of just 550,000 – is the only one in the world that has both a gay PM, Xavier Bettel, and an openly gay Deputy PM, Etienne Schneider.
Luxembourg passed equal marriage by a landslide vote of 56-4 in June last year, and the law came into effect in January with remarkably little attention.
Mr Bettel and partner Gauthier Destenay opted to take advantage of the laws themselves – by tying the knot themselves in a private ceremony today.
There was a strict ban on press at the ceremony, but a number of other European politicians were reported to attend.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel was among those spotted in the crowd – but due to the pair’s wish to celebrate in private, no official guests list has been released.
David Cameron was in London all day today, however – and not at the ceremony.
The pair have frequently been seen together – and bizarrely Mr Cameron was recently photographed tickling his Luxembourg counterpart.
Here’s a pic of D-Cam tickling Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel. Tyrant. pic.twitter.com/5V8nrAsZ6n
— Daniel Green (@DanGreen1986) May 8, 2015
However, Labour MEP Seb Dance sent his best wishes to the couple.
Big congratulations to Luxembourg’s Prime Minister @Xavier_Bettel and his partner Gauthier Destenay who are getting married today!
— Seb Dance MEP (@SebDance) May 15, 2015
A notoriously homophobic Greek MP previously launched a tirade at Mr Bettel, branding him and his partner “faggot mates” after news of their engagement broke.
Ever the diplomat, Mr Bettel replied: “Hello, I heard you want to tell me something, but I don’t speak Greek. Sorry.”
