George Michael seeks civil partnership with longtime boyfriend

George Michael is to marry his long-term partner, he has revealed. The singer said he and Kenny Goss, his lover of nine years, hope to hold a small, private ceremony sometime early in the New Year, after gay civil partnerships become legal in Britain next month.

He said: "I'm sure Kenny and I will be doing the old legal thing, but we won't be doing the whole veil and gown thing. It'll be relatively soon after it comes in, probably early next year."

&to=http://english.pravda.ru/usa/2003/03/26/45087_.html' target=_blank>Michael, 42, who was speaking after the premiere last night of a new documentary about his career, has also signalled the end of his feud with &to=http://english.pravda.ru/diplomatic/2002/07/04/31747.html' target=_blank>Sir Elton John following one of the most public pop rows of recent years.

He said he would attend the civil partnership ceremony of Sir Elton and David Furnish next month, one of the first following the introduction of the Civil Partnership Act, reorts This is London.

According to Rolling Stone, the union became possible when the United Kingdom passed the Civil Partnerships Bill last year, giving same-sex couples the right to have legally binding partnerships and entitling them to some of the same tax and pension protections available to married couples.