英伦广角 2014-12-27 摇滚传奇埃尔顿•约翰与同性伴侣喜结连理

 It started with this Instagram invitation, they could have easily signed an exclusive deal with a celebrity¹ magazine, but Elton John and David Furnish wanted their marriage to be a chance to share the love, and so they gave the pictures away for free, in a move which saw the singer's online followers² go from 0 to 9,000 in less than a day.I think it gives the celebrity, give the artists control, they can decide what photos go out, they can decide when the photos go out, they don't have an editor in between them and their public deciding what goes out, they don't have to wait for the publication of a magazine, so this is Elton John taking control of his wedding, of his image and getting those images straight out there to his public.

Before the small private ceremony could get under way at their home came the legal part, the eyes dotted and the teeth crossed with a registrar³ in nearby Windsor, while gay marriage has been legal in England since March, only this month have civil partners been able to convert their relationships to marriages. In 2005 Elton and David were among the first same sex couples to seal their relationship with a civil partnership⁴, back then it was a grand affair with 650 guests invited, nine years later their special day was more low key, but for gay rights campaigners just as significant.

Many celebrity relationships don't last as long as David and Elton's has, it's been over 20 years, it does show that same sex loving commitment can be enduring and can be loyal and can be committed.

Compare to some of the more extravagant⁵ fund raises and parties that David and Elton are renowned⁶ for, this has been more of a quiet understated affair to date, only around 50 people were reportedly on the guests list, but that did include some rather famous faces.

Hidden behind the black tiled windows were the Beckhams, David Williams, Jimmy C, Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley who sent this excited tweet on route to the ceremony. Speaking to Sky News earlier this year, the singer explained why the ceremony was something he and David felt was important.

We had our big shebang when we had our civil union, so but we will and i think it's a great opportunity to take the advantage of the new laws and to celebrate, we are very lucky in this country to be able to have that advantage and to have that position to be in.

With their young children Zachay and Elijah acting⁷ as ring bearers, the special celebration for David and Elton was all about family, a chance to celebrate a love that's lasted over 20 years to mark not just a milestone⁸ in the couple's relationship, but one also in gay rights.

Kate Spencer, Sky News.

1 celebrity   

n.名人，名流；著名，名声，名望

参考例句：

• Tom found himself something of a celebrity. 汤姆意识到自己已小有名气了。
• He haunted famous men, hoping to get celebrity for himself. 他常和名人在一起, 希望借此使自己获得名气。

2 followers   

追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件

参考例句：

• the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
• The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。

3 registrar   

n.记录员，登记员；(大学的)注册主任

参考例句：

• You can obtain the application from the registrar.你可以向注册人员索取申请书。
• The manager fired a young registrar.经理昨天解雇了一名年轻的记录员。

4 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

5 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

6 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。