Bank Of England Releases First Look At King Charles' Banknote Debut
Following the tragic passing of Queen Elizabeth II, many things have shifted for the United Kingdom (via USA Today). Not only did her son, the heir to the throne, King Charles III, take over Buckingham Palace, but so did several other smaller pieces to the United Kingdom puzzle.
The national anthem, for example, had to be changed from "God Save the Queen" to "God Save the King." Of course, the lyrics will stay the same aside from the ones mentioning the queen. Those will all be shifted to the king. As we approach the holiday season, the annual Christmas broadcast from the queen will now feature an address by the king instead (per Insider). Overall, many things the public has associated with the queen will be taken over by King Charles III.
That goes for the United Kingdom's money, too. All banknotes that have traditionally had the image of the queen on it will now be plastered with King Charles' face. Now, the Bank of England has released what these banknotes will look like.
The new banknotes featuring the king will not be in circulation just yet
Buckingham Palace announced today that they have finalized the design for King Charles III's banknotes. Following the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, new money will be printed that features the face of the new monarch.
In a statement, the Bank of England shared, "We unveiled the design of our King Charles III banknotes on 20 December 2022. The King's portrait will appear on all four of our polymer banknotes (£5, £10, £20, and £50). The rest of the design on the banknotes will remain the same." Adding, "The King's image will appear on the front of the banknotes, as well as in the see-through security window. You can check these notes in the same way you can check our polymer banknotes featuring Queen Elizabeth II."
While the design has been finalized, you will not be able to find these new notes now. They will not hit the pockets of United Kingdom citizens until mid-2024 (per People).