Elton John and David Furnish have chosen godparents for their son

The couple have reportedly shunned their showbiz pals and asked close friend Ingrid Sischy and her lesbian partner Sandy Brant to assist with the spiritual welfare of their son Zachary, who was born to a surrogate mother on Christmas Day (25.12.10).

A source told the Mail on Sunday newspaper: '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.

'ngrid has been best friends with both Elton and David for years. They holiday in Africa together every year and they all spent Christmas in Los Angeles together.

'ngrid 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.'

However, Elton - who is godfather to a host of celebrity children, including Elizabeth Hurley's son Damian, eight, Sean Lennon, and all three of David and Victoria Beckham's kids ' and David have not yet decided how many godparents they want their son to have and are still considering asking other friends and relatives to play an important part in Zachary's upbringing.

The source added: '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.'

Magazine editor Ingrid, 58, refused to confirm whether 63-year-old Elton and David, 48, has asked her and Sandy, 55, to be Zachary's godmothers.

She said only: 'That is a private matter.'