London. 19 June – The marriage of The Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys-Jones takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor. Prior to the marriage, the Queen creates Prince Edward, her third and youngest son, Earl of Wessex and Viscount Severn. 22 June – Patrick Magee is released from prison under the Good Friday Agreement, 14 years into his life sentence for the Provisional Irish Republican Army bombing at the Grand Hotel in Brighton, which killed five people during the Conservative Party conference on 12 October 1984. 23 June Fears about the future of the Rover Group's Longbridge plant in Birmingham are calmed by the news that owner BMW is to invest £2.5billion in the plant. Construction of the Millennium Dome is finished. 26 June – The Millennium Stadium, national sports stadium for Wales, is opened in Cardiff. 30 June – Manchester United announce that they will not compete in the FA Cup in the forthcoming football season so they can concentrate on their participation in the FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil at the start of the next year. Their decision is seen as a major boost to England's hopes of hosting the 2006 World Cup. July 1 July The Scottish Parliament is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom on the day that devolved powers are officially transferred from the Scottish Office in London to the new devolved Scottish Executive in Edinburgh. William Whitelaw, 1st Viscount Whitelaw, deputy prime minister under Margaret Thatcher, dies at the age of 81 in Penrith. 4 July – Rogue trader Nick Leeson returns home to England from Singapore, nearly four years after he was jailed there after his illegal dealings led to the collapse of Barings Bank with losses of £850million. 5 July – Chelsea pay a club record of £10million (one of the highest fees paid by any English club) for the Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton. 9 July – Neil Kinnock, who was Labour Party leader from 1983 to 1992 while they were in opposition, is appointed vice-president of the European Commission. 22 July – At the Eddisbury by-election, Stephen O'Brien holds the seat for the Conservative Party. August 4 August George Robertson appointed as Secretary General of NATO. The JJB Stadium opens in Wigan, to serve the town's football and rugby teams. 9 August – Charles Kennedy elected as Leader of the Liberal Democrats. 11 August –