He is not yet crowned, but King is Charles III. already. Therefore, in the future, coins and banknotes will also bear his likeness. It starts with a 50 pence piece. The reverse of the coin commemorates his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Exactly three months after King Charles III took office. the first coins with the likeness of the British monarch come into circulation. The first thing on the 74-year-old's profile is a 50p piece. As of Thursday, 4.9 million of these coins will initially come into circulation. This happens at almost 9,500 post offices, which give out the coins as change. In total there will be around 9.6 million of the 50p coins featuring the portrait. Charles has been the new king since September 8, when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died.
Rebecca Morgan of the Royal Mint spoke of "a new era for British coinage". "We expect a new generation of coin collectors will emerge who will keep a close eye on their change and try to spot a new 50p coin bearing the portrait of our new king," she said.
The coin was created by sculptor Martin Jennings and personally sanctioned by Charles. According to tradition, the king's face faces to the left, whereas his mother's face turned to the right. The design of the back commemorates the coronation of the Queen in Westminster Abbey in 1953.
Shown are the quarters of the royal coat of arms, separated by shields representing the four parts of the country: a rose for England, a thistle for Scotland, a shamrock for Northern Ireland and a leek for Wales. More coins and banknotes with the Charles profile are to follow. Coins with the Queen's likeness remain valid. There are currently an estimated 27 billion coins depicting the Queen in circulation. They are to be gradually replaced.
The release date of the first Charles coin coincides with the streaming giant Netflix airing the much-anticipated documentary series about Charles' younger son Prince Harry and his wife Duchess Meghan. The couple are expected to make fierce allegations against the palace again.
