Traditionally, Westminster Abbey rings its church bells when it's the birthday of a senior member of the British royal family. This year, however, Prince Andrew will not be hearing the tribute when he turns 61 on Feb. 19.
Sources from the Abbey told Newsweek that they have to stop any bell ringing until March 2021, citing the most recent lockdown restrictions due to COVID-19. Unfortunately for the Duke of York, considerations for easing restrictions won't be reviewed until a few days before his birthday.
The decision might as well be a good thing for the royal family to avoid more backlash. In 2020, Prince Andrew's birthday bells drew public outcry as the Abbey proceeded with the tradition despite the duke's step back from his royal work.
Three months before he turned 60 years old, Andrew decided to resign from his royal duties due to his controversial ties with the pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Following his resignation, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport announced that government buildings would no longer be flying the Union Jack flag to mark the duke's birthday since he is no longer a senior working royal. The public expected the Abbey to follow the same directive, but Andrew's birthday bells were still heard across London last year.
Under ordinary circumstances, Queen Elizabeth would have to be consulted over the decision to exclude a member of the royal family from the traditional bell ringing. But Her Majesty was able to dodge this choice because of an unprecedented and unpredictable pandemic, according to Daily Express.
Meanwhile, an insider from the Duke of York's camp told Daily Mirror that he isn't pushing to return to public service despite earlier reports. The source said that Andrew is "sensitive to the public mood" and understands that his current status as a working royal could only be resolved if his legal issues are over.
Andrew was accused of having sexual relations with a minor who worked Epstein, whose trial is still ongoing in the United States. The royal's friendship with the disgraced billionaire has been under the spotlight since Epstein's victims have been coming out.
U.S. authorities have been seeking to speak to the Duke of York to provide clarity to Epstein's cases since the financier took his own life in prison in the summer of 2019. Two people in Epstein's circle, who are also Andrew's friends, are now under police custody.
But U.S. prosecutor Geoffrey Berman said the royal had declined their requests for an interview because Andrew prefers to submit a written statement in court. The Duke of York has denied the allegations of his accuser, Virginia Giuffre, on national television.
