Marie Claire Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Fashion Month
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career Money
    • Health Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes amp; Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • NYFW
    • Life In Plastic
    • Cari Champion
    • New Books
    • Postpartum Psychosis
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Westminster Abbey Reportedly Won't Ring Its Bells for Meghan Markle's Birthday

    Westminster Abbey will not ring its bells on Meghan Markle or Prince Harry's birthdays this year.

    By Kayleigh Roberts
    Published 19 July 2020 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter
    • Later this month, on August 4, Meghan Markle will celebrate her 39th birthday.
    • Now that she and Prince Harry have stepped back from their duties as senior working royals, Meghan's birthday reportedly won't be marked by the bells ringing at Westminster Abbey.
    • Royal sources revealed the intel to the Daily Mail's royal columnist Richard Eden. 

    Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have stepped back from their lives as working royals, which means fewer responsibilities but also fewer royal perks. This summer, Meghan is reportedly going to be miss out on a royal birthday perk.

    "I hear that Westminster Abbey will not ring its bells for Meghan’s birthday next month," Daily Mail royal correspondent Richard Eden wrote in his recent column. "To add insult to injury, it did ring them for the birthday of beleaguered Prince Andrew in February, even though he’d stepped down from royal duties."

    Although the Abbey's bells won't ring for Meghan's 39th birthday on August 4, they will ring just 11 days later for Princess Anne's birthday. 

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    "The bells are usually rung to mark the birthdays of senior members of the Royal Family, and through the line of succession to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children," a spokesperson for Westminster Abbey explained to the Daily Mail.

    According to the Westminster Abbey bell ringing calendar (which, yes, is a thing), the bells won't ring on Prince Harry's birthday on September 15, either.

    You may like
    • Princess Beatrice wearing a beige dress Princess Beatrice's Birthday "Won't Be an Easy One"
    • Meghan Markle wears a black dress and a large gold necklace and holds hands with Prince Harry, who has red hair and wears a black suit and white shirt Archie and Lili Won't Join Dad Prince Harry in London
    • Meghan Markle holding Prince Harry#039;s arm wearing LA Dodgers hats Meghan Markle “Is Taking One for the Team” For Prince Harry By Moving to Britain

    For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

    subscribe here

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    RELATED STORIES

    nuku#039;alofa, tonga october 25 uk out for 28 days meghan, duchess of sussex arrives at nuku#039;alofa airport on october 25, 2018 in nuku#039;alofa, tonga the duke and duchess of sussex are on their official 16 day autumn tour visiting cities in australia, fiji, tonga and new zealand photo by poolsamir husseinwireimage

    (Image credit: Pool/Samir Hussein)

    Meghan Says She Gave Her Dad Money for Years

    toronto, on may 31 actress meghan markle and jessica mulroney attend the instagram dinner held at the mars discovery district on may 31, 2016 in toronto, canada photo by george pimentelwireimage

    (Image credit: George Pimentel)

    Jessica Mulroney Might Write a Royal Tell-All

    Explore More
    Meghan Markle Prince Harry
    Kayleigh Roberts
    Social Links Navigation
    Contributing Editor at Marie Claire

    Kayleigh Roberts is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years of professional experience covering entertainment of all genres, from new movie and TV releases to nostalgia, and celebrity news. Her byline has appeared in Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Allure, Entertainment Weekly, MTV, Bustle, Refinery29, Girls’ Life Magazine, Just Jared, and Tiger Beat, among other publications. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

    Read more
    Meghan Markle holding Prince Harry#039;s arm wearing LA Dodgers hats
    Royals Meghan Markle “Is Taking One for the Team” For Prince Harry By Moving to Britain
    By Kristin Contino
    Prince Harry,  Meghan Markle, Princess Kate and Prince William walking in a row
    Royals Prince William and Princess Kate Have a "Very Difficult Hill to Climb" With Harry and Meghan
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wearing sunglasses walking outside
    Royals There's a "Significant" Reason Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Moving to the U.K.
    By Kristin Contino
    Meghan Markle wears a white dress with a matching hat, while Prince Harry and King Charles wears suits and top hats at Royal Ascot in 2018
    Royals Charles Reveals His Position on Harry and Meghan's Return
    By Amy Mackelden
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    Grace Kelly wearing a white dress
    Royals Grace Kelly "Understood Quiet Luxury" Before the Term Was Invented
    Princess Lilibet, Prince Archie and Prince Harry walking through grass at Althorp
    Royals Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Are Changing Schools After Just 2 Days
     
     
    Princess Anne wearing a coat and paisley scarf
    Royals Princess Anne Gets a "Round of A-Paws" from Sheep Dogs in Timeless Paisley Look
    Meghan Markle wearing a blue striped shirt
    Royals Meghan Markle Transforms Her Wardrobe from California to Cotswolds
     
     
    Latest in News
    Ayo Edebiri 2026 Emmys red carpet
    Celebrity Style Ayo Edebiri Sticks to Her Winning Red Carpet Formula at the Emmys
    a white woman in a gold dress with dark brown hair
    Nails Selena Gomez's 2026 Emmys Manicure Is All About a "Frosted Sunset" Finish
     
     
    US actress Zendaya presents the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series award to US actress Jean Smart onstage during the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at LA Live in Los Angeles on September 14, 2026.
    Culture We're Tracking Every Can't-Miss Moment From the 2026 Emmys
    Grace Gummer and Louisa Jacobson red carpet looks at the 2026 Emmy Awards
    Celebrity Style Meryl Streep's Daughters Make Their Mom Proud on the 2026 Emmys Red Carpet
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.