The bell ringers at Westminster Abbey don’t just ring the bells for anybody’s birthday. In fact, they don’t go through their bell sequences for most members of the royal family, not even for Prince Harry. Yet, for Princess Charlotte, they pulled out all the stops in honor of her special day.
Town & Country explains that only royals in the direct line of succession and their minor children get the honor.
“Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip both have their birthdays celebrated at the Abbey, as do their four children (and as the wife of the future king, Camilla also receives the honor). Prince William and Kate Middleton, the future king and queen, are also on the list, as are their three children.”
In honor of the little princess, Westminster Abbey rang 504 changes of Stedman Caters, and then 360 changes of the Cambridge Surprise Royal just for Princess Charlotte, and you can hear it on the Westminster Abbey Twitter account. Each member of the Cambridge family has a specific number of changes to Stedman Caters, which is always 500 plus one for each year on Earth.
Prince Harry’s status as the future king’s brother leaves him, Duchess Meghan, and their baby off the bell ringing list.
Happy Birthday to Princess Charlotte on her fourth birthday today. ? The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share three new photographs of Princess Charlotte. pic.twitter.com/NSnZnfYsh9
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) May 2, 2019
But not everything will be automatic as Princess Charlotte goes forward in life, despite being the daughter of the future king, says The Inquisitr . Eventually, when Prince William becomes king, Princess Charlotte will receive the title “Princess Royal,” but it’s not automatic. Prince George will become heir to the throne, but Princess Charlotte can only become Charlotte, Princess Royal if Princess Anne (Prince Charles’ sister) is deceased, explains royal watcher Duncan Larcombe.
“The title of Princess Royal is traditionally bestowed on the eldest daughter of the monarch. It is a title that remains for life, so Princess Charlotte will have to wait at least until the death of the current Princess Royal.”
But even after the death of Princess Anne, it will then be the decision of Prince William to bestow the title on Princess Charlotte. In all likelihood, Prince William will wait until Princess Charlotte is an adult before he changes her title.
When Princess Anne received the title, it had been vacant for over 20 years, so it’s possible that it could sit vacant again until Princess Charlotte becomes an adult. The title of Princess Royal is not just a title as it will alter Princess Charlotte’s way of life, or at least her dating life, because under ancient British law, any man who sleeps with the Princess Royal before marriage is guilty of treason.
The Abbey bell ringers are ringing 504 changes of Stedman Caters, followed by 360 changes of Cambridge Surprise Royal to mark the 4th birthday of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge. pic.twitter.com/GZoVycpLFe
— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) May 2, 2019
