Ordinarily, the royal church would toll its bells to mark the Duchess’ 39th birthday on August 4, but with she and Harry stepping down, whispers suggest the tradition will be abandoned.
The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden mentioned the swirling rumours in one of his recent articles, in which he speculated whether a snub would lead to further animosity between the fractured family.
“I hear that Westminster Abbey will not ring its bells for Meghan’s birthday next month,” Richard wrote, before reflecting on how troubled Prince Andrew still managed to receive the honour.
“They are due to ring for Princess Anne’s birthday, 11 days after Meghan’s. And they will chime again to celebrate the Duchess of Cambridge turning 39 in January,” he added.
The royal expert went on to say that a Westminster Abbey spokesperson confirmed the tradition, which means the honour should be carried out for the Duchess of Sussex.
“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,” the spokesperson reportedly told Richard.
Whether or not the palace carries out the royal tradition for Meghan now that she and Harry have stepped down remains to be seen.
The royal couple’s bombshell decision to stop using their HRH titles has been scrutinised ever since they officially stepped down as senior royals at the end of March.
Meghan’s most recent snub comes after it was reported the Duchess had been accidentally given the title of doctor in a rare administrative blunder.
According to The Sun, Meghan’s title on the Companies House website was strangely changed from duchess to doctor during an application to shut down the Sussex Royal foundation.
Companies House, which is the United Kingdom’s registrar of companies and executive agency and trading fund of Her Majesty’s Government, believes the booboo was caused a filing error.
Prior to the blunder, Meghan was listed on the business site as HRH The Duchess of Sussex, but afterwards the 38-year-old’s details were updated to Dr The Duchess of Sussex.
A spokesman for Companies House reportedly told the British publication: “We are currently looking into this matter.”