Paul McCartney and Nancy Shevell
Prince William and Kate Middleton won’t be too worried, but they may now have some competition when it comes to the wedding of the year in the U.K.
Our friends at People have confirmed that Paul McCartney will wed his American fiancée, Nancy Shevell, at the same venue at which he tied the knot to late wife Linda back in the 1960’s, the Old Marylebone Town Hall in London.
People revealed that the couple met with Superintendent Registrar Alison Cathcart. They were there in person to hand in the ‘notices’ – sometimes known as ‘banns’ – on Wednesday, which means that they’ll have a year from the end of this September to get married there. All couples are required to give 16 days notice of their intention to marry.
(PHOTOS: Rare Images of The Beatles)
Cathcart, who has been Westminster City Council’s Superintendent Registrar for the best part of 20 years, may well oversee the ceremony, and told People how their appearance “was all a bit last minute. I had no prior warning,” before she explained “they were lovely, very relaxed and very charming and clearly in love with each other.”
The now 69-year old McCartney married Linda (then Eastman) in 1969, and the venue also saw the wedding of his Beatles bandmate, Ringo Starr, as well playing host to the likes of Oasis lead singer, Liam Gallagher, whose love for the Liverpudlian group knows no bounds.
But Macca’s third marriage is expected to be a far more intimate affair compared to his ill-fated 2002 union to the former model Heather Mills. That was a lavish ceremony at St Salvator’s Church at the 17th century Castle Leslie in Glaslough, Ireland. The estimated costs were over $2 million and they had 300 guests in attendance (the couple separated in 2006 and, following a bitter divorce battle, Mills won a settlement of many millions).
Fast forward to 2011 and McCartney and Shevell will have the choice of just the four marriage rooms with the largest being the Reception Room: it can host 100 people and is described as “perfect for anyone wishing to make a grand entrance.” We’re talking about a Beatle, so of course it will be grand, and he should have no trouble putting a band together for the ensuing party either.
LIST:Top 10 Celebrity-Relationship Flameouts
Glen Levy is an Executive Producer at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @glenjl. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.