'Christian weddings' at Queen Mother's former castle draw protest

A gay group has condemned the decision to allow only Christian weddings at the Castle of Mey, the former home of the late Queen Mother.

The trust which runs the Scottish castle has opened up the venue to “Christian weddings” in order to help pay for the upkeep of the location.

Gay rights group Outrage said that the decision was “ridiculous” and said that it appeared to be illegal under current legislation against discrimination.

The trust, which has Prince Charles as its president, says it is not acting outside of the law as the venue does not have a wedding licence. According to legislation, only Christian weddings can be legally performed there as priests and ministers are individually licensed to conduct the ceremonies.

The trust said it would not be holding civil ceremonies either for heterosexual or homosexual couples.

According to The Daily Mail, the trust said, "If we receive an application for a civil ceremony we will not be applying for a licence, the trustees have decided … They have to be Christian weddings performed by a minister or priest.”

Outrage condemned the move saying, “This seems even more ridiculous that that The Queen Mother surrounded herself with gay people – including ‘Backstairs’ Billy Tallon (her devoted servant).”

The castle is the only home that the Queen Mother owned. She was also a regular worshipper at the nearby Canisbay Church of Scotland.

In a separate case, at the beginning of this week a gay couple began court proceedings against a Christian couple that refused to allow them to stay together at their hotel.