It was really just a formality, but Queen Elizabeth II made a lot of English queens happy today when she gave her royal stamp of approval to an equal-marriage bill that had cleared both houses of Parliament.

Introduced in January, the marriage act passed the House of Commons yesterday, clearing the House of Lords on Monday. "The title of this bill might be 'Marriage', but its fabric is about freedom and respect," said Culture Secretary Maria Miller. "Freedom to marry regardless of sexuality or gender, but also freedom to believe that marriage should be of one man and one woman, and not be marginalised."

Both Labour and the Liberal Democrat parties supported the bill from the get-go, but Prime Minister David Cameron's cost him support in his own Conservative Party.

The bill will allow gay couples in England and Wales to to get married in either a civil or religious ceremonies. In addition, couples in civil partnerships can "upgrade" to full marriage. Hold off on those wedding registries, though: couples won't be able to wed until next summer.