Celebrities | Jul 22, 2020 10:00 PM EDT

Royal Shock: Meghan Markle Planning RISKY Birthday Despite COVID-19

By Alexandria Kim

Meghan Markle seems to be eyeing something extravagant for her birthday this year.

Despite the alarming number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S., Meghan reportedly wants to give herself a breath of fresh air for her birthday.

Weeks before her 39th birthday on August 4, the Duchess of Sussex is said to be feeling "cooped up" after months of quarantining and practicing social distancing.

For his part, Prince Harry reportedly also feels the same -- which led Meghan to toy with the idea of traveling out of town for her birthday.

A source recently told Daily Mail that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are in need of "a change of scenery." Thus, Meghan expressed her interest to celebrate her birthday in Montecito, where her friend Oprah Winfrey lives.

"Whatever she ends up doing for her birthday, Meghan said it will be low-key. She said she doesn't want to come across as being careless and irresponsible," the insider went on.

The birthday party would be risky and exhausting at the same time, as the duchess would require her attendees to undergo rapid COVID-19 tests. For what it's worth though, Meghan reportedly invited only a few of her closest friends.

Meghan Celebrated Her Birthday Differently As A Royal

In 2019, the former "Suits" actress enjoyed her 38th birthday by having a "family day" at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor in England. The celebration was simple, and she only enjoyed a carrot cake she got from Luminary Bakery.

However, The Sun reported that Queen Elizabeth II planned a special celebration at Balmoral to mark her birthday last year.

With that said, Meghan's birthday will not be as grand as before, as the royal family will not do the same thing again this 2020.

According to a report from Richard Eden and Emer Scully of Daily Mail, the Westminster Abbey will not ring its bells on August 4 to mark Meghan's birthday. Compared to Prince Andrew, the duke's special day was still honored in February despite stepping down from his royal duties.

Moreover, it will still ring for Princess Anne's birthday -- which is 11 days after Meghan's birthday.

"The bells are usually rung to mark the birthdays of senior members of the Royal Family, and through the line of succession to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children," a spokesman for the Abbey said.

Per the Westminster Abbey bell ringing calendar, the bells will not ring to mark Prince Harry's birthday on September 15 either.

The Westminster snub came after Tom Quinn told The Daily Star that the Duke of Sussex is still struggling to find his place in the U.S.

The royal expert added that Prince Harry was "getting swept up in Meghan's positive energy," and it has been causing problems in their married life.

"It's always been a problem, early on in the relationship, Meghan is a dynamo, she's full of positive energy that would sweep Harry along but once the honeymoon is over, you still have to fill the days," he went on.