Gay police officers' engagement sparks offer of free wedding insurance

Two newly engaged London police officers were offered free wedding insurance by a London broker claiming to be the first full-service insurance provider for the U.K.'s gay and lesbian community, a news report said.

Sam Philpot proposed to fellow officer Martin Coughlan at Pride London on June 25. After footage of the proposal of Mr. Philpot on bended knee went viral, specialty insurer Emerald Life Ltd. decided to give the couple free wedding insurance.

“PC Philpot and PC Coughlan both serve our capital in their duties as police officers,” Steve Wardlaw, Emerald Life's chairman, said in a statement. “They keep us safe. On top of this, they provided the community so much happiness by sharing their special moment with the world on Saturday during the parade. I couldn't not reach out to them and offer this simple gesture.”

Some of the items covered by the wedding insurance policy include cancellation or reschedule, protection if a partner or self gets sick, damage to wedding gifts or outfits, supplier failure and photographers who don't show up.

Mr. Wardlaw and Emerald Life CEO Heidi McCormack hired research firm YouGov to survey almost 2,000 people between September 2015 and February 2016. The research found that almost eight in 10 members of the LGBT community — 79% — said they would change the way insurance companies treated them, according to the Emerald Life website.