Why Westminster Abbey's bells didn't ring for Kate Middleton's birthday, but will for the Queen's

• The Westminster Abbey bells didn't ring for Kate Middleton's 40th birthday.
• The bells previously rang for the monarch's birthday, the heirs to the throne, and their partners.

The Queen's birthday is filled with tradition, from the palace's military parade to the annual gun salute.

While the Queen usually shares some of these traditions with other royals on their birthdays, the pandemic is changing things.

The Duchess of Cambridge celebrated her 40th birthday on Sunday, January 9. In previous years, Westminster Abbey in London rang its bells to celebrate the duchess' birthday, something which is done to honor the monarch, the direct heirs to the throne, and their partners as well as some royal births.

In August 2021, the Abbey announced that there would be restrictions on the bells due to "financial challenges" caused by the pandemic.

"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," a spokesperson for Westminster Abbey told Hello! Magazine in August.

"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," they added.

Westminster Abbey is a significant location to Kate Middleton, as it's where she married Prince William on April 29, 2011. It was also the location of Princess Diana's funeral.

Representatives for Westminster Abbey did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.