With the death of Queen Elizabeth II, a new era of King Charles III immediately began. And exactly what that looks like is now becoming clear as bank notes, coins, stamps, and post boxes will soon begin to feature the image and cypher of the King.
In a co-ordinated effort to announce the changes, Buckingham Palace, the Bank of England, Royal Mint, and Royal Mail have today shared information about the King’s cypher and how money and mail will be affected. “His Majesty The King’s new cypher is revealed today, Tuesday 27th September. The cypher is the Sovereign’s monogram, consisting of the initials of the monarch’s name, Charles, and title, Rex – Latin for King, alongside a representation of the Crown,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement. The Palace outlined that the cypher, which was designed by the College of Arms, will appear on government buildings, state documents and on some post boxes. “The decision to replace cyphers will be at the discretion of individual organisations, and the process will be gradual,” the Palace emphasized.
Meanwhile, the Bank of England confirmed that it will reveal images of updated banknotes with King Charles’s portrait by the end of the year, adding that the notes are expected to enter circulation by mid-2024. “His Majesty’s portrait will appear on existing designs of all four polymer banknotes (£5, £10, £20 and £50)…Current banknotes featuring the portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II will continue to be legal tender and will only be removed from circulation once they become worn or damaged,” the bank said in a statement.
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The Royal Mint made a similar announcement, pointing out that new coins will enter circulation but coins with the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II will remain legal tender. There are approximately 27 billion coins currently circulating the U.K with Queen Elizabeth II’s effigy on which will be replaced over time. “The first coins bearing the effigy of His Majesty King Charles III will enter circulation in line with demand from banks and post offices,” said Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive Officer at The Royal Mint. “This means the coinage of King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II will co-circulate in the UK for many years to come.”
And Royal Mail also issued an announcement about stamps, which said that the current image of Queen Elizabeth used on everyday stamps will be updated to feature an image of King Charles. “His Majesty will appear on new 1st and 2nd Class Definitive stamps, as well as all those of other values,” the organization said. “New stamps featuring King Charles will enter circulation once current stocks of stamps are exhausted.” On postboxes, Royal Mail said, “In line with past practice, following the death of a monarch all existing post boxes will remain unchanged. Post boxes already in production or being prepared for installation, will also retain the insignia of Queen Elizabeth II. Once these have been installed, new postboxes will feature the cypher of King Charles III.”
A wall mounted post-box with the cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.
The organization is also issuing four new portrait stamps in memory of Queen Elizabeth which feature her at different stages throughout her reign. They will go on sale in November and can be pre-ordered at royalmail.com.
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She was the Daily Mirror‘s Royal Correspondent and is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America.
Changes Announced to Stamps, Coins, Bank Notes and Post Boxes for the Reign of King Charles III
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