You may recall a story we posted yesterday on the would-be marriage between royal music master Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (pictured) and his main squeeze, Colin Parkinson.

In case you've been sleeping on the job (rather than reading Queerty, as you should), the gents hoped to marry on the small UK island of Sanday - park of the Orkney Island Chain. The chains governing Council, however, wasn't having it and asked the chosen registar, a one Charlie Ridley, to change locales. As The Times reports:

Mr Ridley, a member of the Aire Valley chapter of the Hell’s Angels, based in Leeds, [had been] told by the council that it had no objection to him conducting the ceremony, only to be informed before Christmas that it had suddenly changed its mind.

Instead, it said that the couple would have to travel to Kirkwall on the Orkney mainland because registrars on outlying islands did not have the power to carry out same-sex partnership ceremonies.

Obviously the men weren't pleased and raised a negative publicity fueled stink that reached this side of Atlantic, including this site.

In response to the story, the eminent Orkney Islands Council sent us this note:

The Council hopes to quickly arrange a meeting to discuss all the issues concerned and find a speedy solution that is within the constraints of the law and Council procedure.

The Kirkwall Registrar is able to carry out civil partnerships at any registrar's premises in Orkney or at a premises that has been licensed for the purpose of civil marriages and this, of course, includes Sanday.

The email went on to say that the council anticipated that stationing the senior registar at the main registration office would meet the demand. The writer insists:

Our Senior Registrar will travel to any registrar's premises in Orkney or at a premises that has been licensed for the purpose of civil marriages to perform a civil partnership. Travel expenses for the Senior Registrar will be met wholly by the Council.

He's also quick to point out that Orkney hosted a civil partnership on Valentines Day of 2006. Let's hope it works out.)

We've pasted the entire email after the jump.

Hi there,

Please find below a statement from Orkney Islands Council regarding civil partnerships.

'The Council hopes to quickly arrange a meeting to discuss all the issues concerned and find a speedy solution that is within the constraints of the law and Council procedure.

The Kirkwall Registrar is able to carry out civil partnerships at any registrar's premises in Orkney or at a premises that has been licensed for the purpose of civil marriages and this, of course, includes Sanday.'

For your info -

When the legislation first came into force the Council considered that having our senior registrar at the main registration office able to perform civil partnerships would be sufficient to meet the perceived demand.

Orkney has already hosted a civil partnership ceremony - on February 14 2006.

Our Senior Registrar will travel to any registrar's premises in Orkney or at a premises that has been licensed for the purpose of civil marriages to perform a civil partnership. Travel expenses for the Senior Registrar will be met wholly by the Council.