Partners civilled in Haringey after more than 30 years together

Diane and her partner, who had lived together for more than 30 years, entered into a civil partnership in Haringey on 3 January 2020, shortly after civil partnerships were legalised for opposite-sex couples; they were only the fourth heterosexual couple to be civilled in the borough.

The couple said they had never wanted to marry but had agreed they would get civilled if opposite-sex partnerships were allowed. Friends assumed tax reasons motivated them; the couple acknowledged that concern but said the ceremony was primarily a romantic expression of their relationship after decades together.

The short ceremony was, they recalled, “super sweet”: the registrar reportedly beamed and called it the most “joyful” ceremony she had officiated. The couple danced into the room to Jackie Wilson’s (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, followed by Stevie Wonder’s I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever), and closed with Marvin Gaye’s How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You).

The narrator said they were “bucketing 30 years’ worth of tears” when making a speech and signing the book. Only close family attended; the couple had planned a large party for March that did not take place because the narrator fell ill and, they said, it felt irresponsible to gather so many people once the pandemic began (a few days after the planned party the country went into lockdown).

Key Topics

Culture, Civil Partnerships, Haringey, Opposite-sex Couples, Diane, Alix