Meghan Markle dealt disappointing blow ahead of her birthday

(Image credit: Getty Images)

By Georgia Farquharson

published 18 July 2020

Meghan Markle will turn 39 on 4 August, but the Westminster Abbey bells will not chime to mark the occasion.

The Westminster Abbey bells will not ring to celebrate Meghan Markle’s birthday on 4 August
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as senior royals back in March
They are due to ring just 11 days later for Princess Anne’s birthday
It follows royal news that Meghan Markle had to leave her dog behind in Canada after it didn't take to Prince Harry

The Westminster Abbey bells will reportedly not be rung to mark Meghan Markle’s 39th birthday in August.

The snub comes after she and husband Prince Harry stepped down as senior royals back in March.

While it is a tradition for the bells of the Abbey – where the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge tied the knot in 2011 – to be rung on a royal’s birthday, they will not chime on Meghan’s big day.

Yet they will ring 11 days later for the Queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne’s birthday.

According to the Daily Mail, a spokesperson explained, “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.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced back in January that they planned to step back from the Royal Family and move forward with a more “peaceful” life.

Swiftly coined ‘Megxit’, the surprise move went on to be discussed and judged by people across the nation, with many criticising the Duchess of Sussex, implying that the move was her doing.

However, it turns out that the couple first discussed the move a long time before they ever made any concrete plans – and it was all due to Prince Harry.

In the couple’s upcoming authorised biography, Finding Freedom: Harry, Meghan, and the Making of a Modern Royal Family, writers Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, are reportedly set to tell the story of how the Duke of Sussex’s long-term unhappiness as a royal was the cause of the move.

According to the MailOnline, the royal couple “discussed Megxit before they got married” because Harry was “deeply unhappy for a long time”.

Georgia is a Celebrity and Royal Writer working across GoodTo and Woman & Home, and the Director and Founder of communications company Farq Media. Prior to this she was Online Editor at New! Magazine – managing all of their digital content and social media accounts. Where she interviewed all of the hottest reality TV stars and spent far too much time commuting to London. She trained at Nottingham Trent University – where she achieved First Class Honours in Print Journalism whilst juggling copious amounts of work experience, freelance writing, blogging and having far too much fun with the dance society.