Elton John has chosen two godmothers for his two-week-old son Zachary, ignoring his celebrity coterie in favour of two of his oldest – albeit most colourful – friends.

Elton is said to have chosen Scottish-educated magazine editor Ingrid Sischy and her lesbian partner Sandy Brant to be Zachary’s moral guardians. A close friend told The Mail on Sunday: "Elton could have picked anyone from the world of showbusiness to be godparents but he chose a couple of dear friends who will take their role seriously. Ingrid has been best friends with both Elton and his partner David Furnish for years. They holiday in Africa together every year and they all spent Christmas in Los Angeles together. Ingrid and Sandy are two of the most genuine people they know. They were among a handful of people Elton entrusted with the details of the surrogate pregnancy. Zachary means everything to Elton and David and they have chosen Ingrid and Sandy as godmothers for the traditional reason: to take care of the child’s welfare in case something happens to them."

Another friend said: "Elton and David still haven’t decided exactly how many godparents to have. They want to have a member of David’s family and they may still choose someone else who is high profile."

Ingrid, the former editor of artist Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine, refused to discuss Zachary as she arrived on January 8, 2011 at the townhouse in New York’s Greenwich Village she shares with Sandy, 55. "That would be a private matter," she said.

A friend of Elton’s said: "Ingrid has been with him every step of the way and it was natural that he should choose her and Sandy."

Elton is godfather to ten children – including John Lennon’s son Sean, all three of David Beckham’s boys and Liz Hurley’s son Damian – who, until Zachary’s birth on Christmas Day, looked set to inherit most of his £175 million fortune.

Art expert Ingrid, 58, was born in South Africa, but the family moved to Edinburgh in 1960, where she studied at the exclusive George Watson’s Ladies’ College. When Ingrid was 15, the family moved to New York.

Before her relationship with Ingrid, socialite Sandy was married to New York billionaire Peter Brant, a pal of Prince Charles, by whom she has five children.

Despite his insistence that he will be a hands-on father, Elton has continued his glamorous social life, and held a lavish New Year’s Day baby shower in Los Angeles. "Elton and David adore the baby but like many successful parents, they believe they can have it all," said a friend.

Asked about godparents, Elton’s spokesman said: "I don’t have a comment. It’s a private matter."

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