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Westminster Abbey’s bells, usually rung to mark a royal family birthday, will not sound on January 9 – Kate’s 40th birthday. But the Duchess of Cambridge is not the only senior royal to miss out on the tolling.
They will not chime to coincide with the birthdays of Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward nor Camilla.
The bells will also not be rung to mark the birthdays of Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
However, Queen Elizabeth II’s 96th birthday and Prince Charles’ 73rd will be marked by the famous bells.
A representative from Westminster Abbey told Hello!: “The Abbey bells can be heard ringing out before services and in celebration of church festivals.
“The bells have also traditionally been rung to mark the birthdays of senior members of the Royal Family.
“Due to the financial challenges posed to the Abbey by the Covid-19 pandemic, and in consultation with Buckingham Palace, the bells will now ring only for the birthdays of HM The Queen and HRH The Prince of Wales.”
The Abbey was built in 1065 by Edward the Confessor and was likely fitted with its first bells then, though they have changed over the years.
In 1250, King Henry III instructed a bigger bell be constructed than those previously.
In 1919, King George V and Queen Mary oversaw two Westminster Abbey bells be recast as two bells were newly cast to form a ring of eight.
These rang out at the coronation of King George IV in 1937, for VE Day on May 8, 1945 and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
In 1971, a ring of ten bells were cast and unveiled in a ceremony attended by the Queen.
After the passing of the Duke of Edinburgh in April, they rang 99 times to represent each year of his life.
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They paid tribute at the shrine of St. Edward the Confessor.
Prince William lit a candle while Kate laid daffodils at the shrine.
They took a minute’s silence to reflect on the people who had lost their lives to coronavirus.
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