London, UK
Reuters
The first British coins to feature the image of King Charles III have been unveiled by the Royal Mint, with the portrait of the new monarch facing the opposite direction to his late mother Queen Elizabeth II in keeping with tradition.
The new image will appear on 50 pence coins, which will begin circulating in the coming months, and also on £5 pound coin which also features two new portraits of Elizabeth on its reverse side.
The official coin effigy of Britain’s King Charles III is seen on a £5 crown and 50 pence coin, unveiled by The Royal Mint, in London, Britain, on 29th September PICTURE: Reuters/Peter Nicholls
Since the monarchy was restored in 1660 following the 10-year republic of Oliver Cromwell, it has become traditional for the monarch to face in the opposite direction to their predecessor on coins.
Charles personally approved the official portrait, which shows him facing to the left and was done by British sculptor Martin Jennings. The image is surrounded by a Latin inscription which translates as “King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith”.
“The portrait was sculpted from a photograph of the King and was inspired by the iconic effigies that have graced Britain’s coins over the centuries,” Jennings said.
“It is the smallest work I have created, but it is humbling to know it will be seen and held by people around the world for centuries to come.”
Queen Elizabeth II died earlier this month aged 96 after 70 years on the throne. Some 27 billion coins with her image are in circulation and will remain legal tender as they are gradually phased out over time.
“As we move from the Elizabethan to the Carolean era it represents the biggest change to Britain’s coins in decades and the first time that many people will have seen a different effigy,” said Kevin Clancy, director of The Royal Mint Museum.
Meanwhile, the Queen’s death certificate was published by the National Records of Scotland on Thursday, revealing the Queen died of old age.
The certificate records her time of death as 3:10pm on 8th September.
Buckingham Palace had released a statement just after 12:30pm that day to say doctors were concerned about the Queen’s health and that she would remain under medical supervision. Her death was officially announced at 6:30pm.
She had carried out her last official duty, appointing Liz Truss as Prime Minister, just two days earlier.
The Queen, who spent 70 years on the throne, had been suffering from what Buckingham Palace had called “episodic mobility problems” since the end of last year, forcing her to withdraw from nearly all her public engagements.
The certificate shows her death was registered by her daughter, Princess Anne, on 16th September.
