The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's eldest child Prince George is set to celebrate his seventh birthday on 22 July, but there's one tradition the young royal is set to miss out on this year. Certain royal birthdays and anniversaries are marked by the ringing of the bells at Westminster Abbey, including for the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh, their children, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children.
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However, amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, bell ringing at the Abbey is currently suspended and is not scheduled to resume until August, meaning Prince George will miss out on the tradition this year. Prince William and Kate's youngest children, Princess Charlotte, five, and Prince Louis, two, also didn't get to hear the bells ring on their birthdays in May and April respectively.
According to Westminster Abbey's website, the next royal to receive such an honour will be the Princess Royal on her 70th birthday on 15 August.
The Abbey has played host to some of the biggest royal events in its history, including the Queen's Coronation in 1953 and the weddings of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947, Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips in 1973 and Prince William and Kate Middleton in 2011.
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Westminster Abbey has cancelled its bell ringing until August
Members of the royal family have also been taking part in Westminster Abbey's podcast series, Abbeycast, during lockdown, including the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Countess of Wessex.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been residing at their Norfolk home, Anmer Hall, with George, Charlotte and Louis since the UK lockdown was imposed in March. George and Charlotte, who usually attend Thomas's Battersea school, have been homeschooled by their parents.
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