Pop legend Sir Elton John and his long-term partner have announced their plans to get married in May. The couple have been together for 20 years and got a civil partnership in 2005 yet have taken the immediate opportunity to be joined in a same-sex marriage after legislation was changed in England and Wales this weekend.

Sir Elton told the Las Vegas Review Journal that he is “very proud of Britain and the laws that we’ve seen come into existence” and he has spoken of how he would not even consider passing up such an opportunity. The ability to even have a civil partnerships in the UK only appeared recently, with Sir Elton as one of the highest-profile campaigners, and this latest development is a large step in creating a greater equality for homosexual men and women.

Though their civil partnership ceremony may well have been a rather grand spectacular, David Furnish has played down any similar practices being in place for the wedding ceremony and hinted that it will simply be the couple, along with their sons and some witnesses, going down to the registry office to confirm the  marriage.

Perhaps the most renowned gay couple in the world, Sir Elton John and David Furnish will surely join many couples in celebrating this latest legislation change by taking their opportunity to get married. Though there has still been a certain level of opposition towards the prospect of gay marriage, the BBC helped point out a number of reasons in a recent report, a majority of the UK have been pleased by this new step towards greater equality and many hope that it will be a foot in the right direction in the fight against homophobia.