Sir Peter Davies has called off his wouldbe wedding after ex-Hell's Angel and chosen officiator Charlie Ridley resigned from his post. Queen Elizabeth II's royal music master, Davies planned to marry his beau, Colin Parkinson on the small UK island of Sanday, but officials refused his request, instead offering an alternate island in the Orkney chain.

In response to our report, an Orkney Council official sent us a note saying that the senior registrar would travel to Sanday for the allegedly star-studded event. Davies stuck to his guns, however, and insisted Ridley preside over the ceremony. But, now Ridley's called the whole thing off, dashing Davies' dreams. The Scotsman reports:

Yesterday it was revealed Mr Ridley had resigned from his post, saying the row had taken its toll on his health.

He said he had fought to be allowed to perform the ceremony because it was a principle he believed in. But he felt he had become a casualty of the row over the council's refusal to let him officiate.

"All I wanted to do was perform a professional service for everyone on the island. I felt I was left with no option other than to resign with immediate effect," he said.

For his part, Davies promises to marry elsewhere, saying, "Everything has gone so sour..." No use crying over spilled marriages, right?

(You may notice we changed Davies' picture. A reader found it a bit scary - and, quite frankly - he did look a bit like a maniac. So, we've switched it out for this one. Not quite as funny as Pope Benedict XVI in his little red hat, but not without its frivolous charm.)