Gay man has dead husband's ashes taken by airport security after not being recognised as 'next of kin'

'All I wanted was to be able to travel with David's ashes on me so he wouldn't have to travel back by himself'

David and Marco Bulmer-Rizzi got married in London and were on honeymoon in Australia (YouTube)

A man was forced to give up his husband's ashes at airport security because officials refused to recognise him as the "next of kin".

British national Marco Bulmer-Rizzi's case made headlines around the world when his new husband David died while the couple was on their honeymoon in Australia.

Mr Bulmer-Rizzi suffered a series of humiliations as he was told by South Australia officials that his husband's death certificate would read "never married", and funeral arrangements had to be approved by David's father.

Now, Mr Bulmer-Rizzi has revealed how he suffered the further indignity of being told he could not take David's ashes with him when he returned back to Britain.

He told BuzzFeed: "I felt like I was losing him again. All I wanted was to be able to travel with David's ashes on me so he wouldn't have to travel back by himself."

Describing what happened, Mr Bulmer-Rizzi said of a female airport security officer: "She wanted to open the box. And I said, 'These are human remains. It's my husband. My husband died while we were in Australia.'

"She just looked at me and said, 'I need to take this away'."

Mr Bulmer-Rizzi tried to stop the box being taken away and asked to see a supervisor, who eventually let him fly home to Britain with his husband's ashes.

He added that he had asked the British consulate to certify him as his husband's next of kin because he was worried about travelling through countries where same-sex marriage is still illegal, but had not been issued with documentation.

The couple's story has previously outraged readers around the globe.

Jay Weatherill, the South Australian premier, said he was "deeply ashamed" by what the whole family had been made to go through.

"A man's just lost his husband, someone he loves, someone he's legally married to and treated with disrespect in my state," he told ABC.

The Foreign Office has indicated it is willing to meet with Mr Bulmer-Rizzi to discuss ways of improving assistance to British members of the LGBT community when they travel abroad.

In a statement, a spokesman told The Independent: "We have the greatest sympathy for Mr Bulmer-Rizzi and our staff in Australia and the UK worked hard to offer support and find a practical solution.

"Following this exceptional case, we put in place a process enabling us to issue a death registration quickly once an application is received.

"While Australia’s position on same sex marriage is a matter for Australians, we have asked the premiers and chief ministers of states and territories where UK same-sex marriages are currently not recognised to urgently consider legislation or other measures that would allow for such recognition on death certificates."