Kate Middleton enjoyed the return of a special birthday honor when she turned 41, despite the royal privilege previously being scrapped.
- Kate Middleton's rare birthday honor made a return, having been taken away in recent years due to financial struggles.
- The Princess of Wales is now 41-years-old and is just one of four royals to be allowed this particular birthday tribute.
- In other royal news, the significant detail in Kate Middleton’s birthday message from King Charles and Queen Camilla you may have missed was pointed out.
With January 9th marking the newly-appointed Princess of Wales' 41st birthday, the future Queen Consort was granted a special royal tribute to mark her big day.
At 1pm on her 41st birthday, the bells of Wesminster Abbey, where Princess Catherine and Prince William married in 2011, rang out in celebration.
Kate Middleton's rare birthday honor is reserved for just three other senior members of The Firm, those being King Charles, Queen Consort Camilla and Kate's husband, Prince William.
Kate's 41st birthday bell toll is particularly key as the honor was previously scrapped due to financial difficulties.
The bells once rang to mark the birthday of all senior royal family members, however it is now just for those on the very top tier of the monarchy.
In 2021 it was announced that only Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, who was known as the Prince of Wales at the time, would enjoy the birthday bells, in light of monetary strains caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
At the time, a Westminster Abbey spokesperson confirmed, "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.
Speaking to Hello! the representative added, "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."
While it is unknown what Princess Catherine is doing to personally celebrate her birthday, however it's expected that she will spend the evening with Prince William and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, who will have been at school at Berkshire's Lambrook during the day.
It's also likely that Kate will be surrounded by members of the Middleton family, with her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton, living a short drive away from Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, where the Wales family lives having moved from Kensington Palace last year.
Carole is the proud owner of celebration decoration company, Party Pieces, so there's no doubt that any celebration for her daughter's 41st will be complete with all the most beautiful balloons and banners.
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