There were two feather boas, a motorised leopard-skin sofa and a spangly silver jacket but the man affectionately described by his fans as a "raving queen" sprang a surprise yesterday. Leaving high camp to the crowd, Sir Elton Hercules John registered his civil partnership with David Furnish wearing an impeccably restrained dark suit.

Civil, understated and in the shadow of Windsor Castle, it was a partnership the Queen would probably approve of. The house of Windsor could also learn a trick or too from the celebrities that increasingly eclipse it. Bowing before his audience like a portly stationmaster pleased to have won a tidy platform award, Sir Elton blew kisses and waved back the crowd's affection.

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This was largely a girls' day out. "My husband is totally against it," said Mrs Hewett. "When we got up at six this morning he said 'you're mad'. He knows I'm here but he doesn't want anything to do with it."

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"I'm not into his music but I like his style," said Bob Charles, 66, who with Roy Williams, his partner of 39 years, was one of the few gay couples outside the Guildhall. "He's just a typical raving queen." They agreed that as gay activists in the 1960s they would never have imagined a day like this would come. "If old Quentin Crisp had been alive now - and I remember sitting with him in the 60s - he would have been over the moon," said Mr Williams.

The lack of kitsch disappointed some. "I like reading about him - his wobblies and tantrums," said Kelly Trevisani. "I thought he would wear a more flamboyant suit, all glittery and white, but it doesn't matter," said Melanie Freezer. "It was better than Prince Charles' wedding. He just seemed to get in the car. Elton wanted to be here."