Assange Photo:Xinhua

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is expected to marry his long-term partner Stella Moris inside a high-security prison in southeast London on Wednesday at a small ceremony attended by four guests, two official witnesses and two security guards.

Assange is wanted by US authorities to face trial on 18 counts relating to WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential US military records and diplomatic cables. The 50-year-old, who denies any wrongdoing, has been held at Belmarsh prison since 2019 and before that was holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for seven years.

While living at the embassy, he fathered two children with Moris, a lawyer more than a decade his junior, who he met in 2011 when she started work on his legal team.

The registrar-led ceremony will take place during visiting hours at the prison, where some of Britain's most notorious criminals have served sentences, including child murderer Ian Huntley.

Moris's wedding dress and Assange's kilt - a nod to his family ties to Scotland - have been created by British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood, who has previously campaigned against his extradition.

Assange was denied permission in March to appeal at Britain's Supreme Court against a decision to extradite him to the US. He could still challenge any decision from the government to approve his extradition.

Reuters