Britain’s new King Charles featured in UK coins
Earlier in September, the world lost Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch of Britain; following which her eldest son Charles III ascended the throne. Now, one month down the line, the Royal Mint welcomes and honours King Charles by featuring his image on British coins.
As of now, King Charles’ portrait has been printed on 50 pence. He is seen facing left, the opposite direction to that of his recently deceased mother and predecessor, in keeping with centuries old (since 1660) tradition. Its reverse side contains the image of 1953 Crown that commemorated the late Queen’s coronation. It was unveiled recently by the Royal Mint and will be in general circulation in the coming months as per the demand by the banks, building societies and post offices. However, the coins will directly be sold to collectors by the Royal Mint from the second week of October. Interestingly, the brand-new coins will be co-circulated with almost 27 billion coins featuring the late Queen.
Apart from the 50 pence, a commemorative £5 Crown (featuring two new portraits of the late Queen depicting her journey from a young monarch to a long-standing Head of State) was also revealed carrying the image of King Charles that was engraved by British sculptor Martin Jennings. What’s interesting here is that, instead of the tradition of the monarch sitting for a specific portrait, Jennings used photographs of Charles to come up with the design. However, unlike any other previous monarch, King Charles is shown to be wearing no crown. In fact, sources cite that he had personally approved the effigy and also expressed his likeness. According to several sources, both the official portrait and the inscription of King Charles on the newly minted coins were designed to offer an accessible look. Not only that, unlike previous British monarchs, King Charles’ name has not been denoted in Latin (Carolus) but in English only. However, the rest is in Latin. It reads: “CHARLES III • D • G • REX • F • D • 5 POUNDS • 2022.” This literally translates to “King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith.”
For those unaware, these coins generally have a lifespan of two decades, meaning that both the coins, one featuring new Kind Charles and the other having the image of late Queen Elizabeth II will be in circulation together for many more years. The Royal Mint has also revealed that 2023 onwards, King Charles’ portrait will also be featured on 1 pence and £2, and will be circulated for everyday use, especially when other older, worn out or damaged coins need to be replaced, or when there’s extra demand for the same.
Bonus fact: The first non-white person to have featured in UK currency was Mahatma Gandhi.