ONE of the society weddings of the year will take place next month in the humble setting of a North Yorkshire council office.

Simon Howard will tie the knot with Marks and Spencer heiress Rebekah Sieff at the council offices in Malton, on June 8.

The following day he will take his bride to his palatial stately home, Castle Howard, for a blessing in the estate chapel, followed by a big reception in the grounds.

Mr Howard, 44, is the third son of the late Lord Howard of Henderskelfe, a former BBC chairman, and runs the estate that was the setting of the TV series Brideshead Revisited.

His wife-to-be is a 33-year-old musician and the couple have now been engaged to marry for several months.

A spokesman for Mr Howard said: "It promises to be a very big day for everyone here."

Mr Howard and his former wife, Annette, were married for 13 years