Kate Middleton received a special honor for her birthday on Jan. 9<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The bells at Westminster Abbey rang to celebrate the Princess of Wales turning 44<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
The Abbey used to ring the bells for many senior members of the royal family; however, the list has been pared back in recent years<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Kate Middleton<\/a> received a special honor from a historic U.K. institution to celebrate her 44th birthday.<\/p>\n The Princess of Wales had her big day marked with a chorus of bells at Westminster Abbey in London, a rare honor in recent years.<\/p>\n The historic venue, where Kate and Prince William<\/a> were married in 2011, shared a video of the bells ringing at 1:00 p.m. local time on Friday, Jan. 9.<\/p>\n “The Abbey bells are ringing out to celebrate the birthday of HRH The Princess of Wales,” read the social media post. “Our bell ringers are ringing 344 changes of Erin Caters followed by 544 changes of Spliced Surprise Royal.”<\/p>\n Westminster Abbey was once known for ringing its bells to celebrate the birthdays of numerous members of the royal family. However, the tradition has changed in recent years due to financial issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n Prior to 2020, the bells marked the birthdays of 12 royals: Queen Elizabeth<\/a>, Prince Philip and their four children \u2014 the now-King Charles<\/a>, Princess Anne<\/a>, the former Prince Andrew<\/a> and Prince Edward<\/a> \u2014 all received the honor, as did Charles’ wife, the now-Queen Camilla<\/a>. Prince William, Princess Kate and their kids \u2014 Prince George<\/a>, Princess Charlotte<\/a> and Prince Louis<\/a> \u2014 completed the list.<\/p>\n However, when the Abbey announced their bell-ringing schedule<\/a> for 2022, it was revealed that the bells would only mark the birthdays of Queen Elizabeth and Charles. The following year, after the Queen’s death and Charles’ accession to the throne, William and Kate were added back to the schedule as the new Prince and Princess of Wales.<\/p>\n Aaron Chown – Pool\/Getty<\/p>\n Kate Middleton with her family at Wesminster Abbey in London on Dec. 5, 2025<\/p>\n So far, the Abbey’s official website lists the bell-ringing schedule<\/a> for the first half of the year. In addition to Kate’s birthday, King Charles’ official birthday is set to be celebrated in June, as will Prince William’s 44th birthday the same month.<\/p>\n Additionally, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, will have his 69th birthday rung in on June 10.<\/p>\n Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? <\/strong>Sign up for our free Royals newsletter<\/strong><\/a> to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! <\/strong><\/p>\n Westminster Abbey holds special significance to all members of the royal family, but Princess Kate in particular. In addition to being her royal wedding venue, it is also the site of her annual “Together at Christmas” carol service<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/116a70cc2a1aeebfa3d315376486013e.jpeg\"\/)
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