On September 8, local time, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland at the age of 96. Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, the longest-reigning monarch in Britain. The British Parliament will hold an important meeting on the 10th, when it will be announced that Charles III will officially become the King of The United Kingdom.
At present, the United Kingdom is preparing for the Queen's funeral and gradually transitioning to the rule of the new King. It has been reported that at the time of the change of throne, the British national anthem, currency, stamps, flags and even the title of the royal legal adviser need to be re-customized as the "king's version".
It will take at least two years to replace the £4.5 billion banknotes
Commonwealth countries such as Canada still have the "Queen" avatar currency
↑ The british pound banknotes issued by the Bank of England have the head of Elizabeth II on the obverse
With charles III's succession, all new coins and banknotes entering circulation will no longer have Elizabeth II's side face printed on them, but will be replaced by the side face of her heir Charles. One difference is that the image of the monarch on the coin will be "turned over". Since the reign of Charles II in the 17th century, royal tradition has dictated that the image of the monarch on the coin should go in the opposite direction to that of his predecessor. This means that when Charles III officially succeeds to the throne, his side face on the coin will face to the left, as opposed to the portrait of the Queen.
During Elizabeth II's 70 years on the throne, five monarchic figures were inscribed on circulating coins, introduced in the early years of his reign in 1952, 1968, 1985, 1998 and 2015. In the last portrait, released in 2015, Elizabeth II wore a diamond crown, an image she used to attend the opening ceremony of Parliament.
The Bank of England is reportedly expected to release banknotes bearing King Charles at a later date, while cash stamped with a portrait of the Queen will remain legal tender. There are currently around 4.5 billion pound banknotes with elizabeth II's head in circulation, with a total value of £80 billion. It is reported that if it were to be replaced entirely with new banknotes bearing the head of King Charles, the process could take at least two years.
↑ A £1 note from 1960, with the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II appearing for the first time
Since 1960, elizabeth II's head has appeared on the £1 note, and she was the first monarch to appear on a banknote issued by the Bank of England, and the current british pound banknotes are all on the obverse of Elizabeth II's head. In June last year, the United Kingdom issued a new £50 plastic banknote with a portrait of the country's famous mathematician Alan Turing on the back. The Bank of England's recall and replacement process for the old £50 note reportedly took 16 months.
↑ Coin with the queen's head printed on it
In addition, in commonwealth countries, currencies bearing the head of Elizabeth II also include Canada's $20 note, New Zealand's coins, and all coins and banknotes issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. Historical practice has shown that coin designs may have changed more slowly than banknotes, and coin replacements often do not resort to forced recalls, and many may be keen to keep coins with the Queen's head on their hands as souvenirs.
The British national anthem and passport were changed from "Queen" to "King"
The Queen's exclusive flag will be replaced
As Britain's new king, Charles is about to release a new personal flag, which means that thousands of exclusive Queen Elizabeth II flags need to be replaced, from flags flying outside police stations across the UK to the standard flags used by admirals when riding ships. British legions usually fly flags embroidered with the words "EIIR" in gold, an initial for Queen Elizabeth II. In addition, the flag of the fire brigade is also printed with the initials of the Queen's name.
↑The four flags used by Elizabeth II represent England, Scotland, Ireland, and not Wales
Since 1960, during her visits to Commonwealth countries, Queen Elizabeth II has usually used an exclusive flag with a golden capital letter "E" printed on the Crown of St. Edward, used by members of the royal family for coronation, surrounded by a garland of roses. At the same time, the flag flying inside the British Royal Family is also likely to change. Elizabeth II used the quartile flag to represent England, Scotland, and Ireland, but not Wales. There are reports that Charles III may add a new flag to the factor representing Wales.
In addition to the currency and flag, the British national anthem, coat of arms, passports, stamps and monarch's signature will change. As one of the most immediate changes, the title and lyrics of the British national anthem "God Bless the Queen" will be changed to the earliest "King's Version". Second, the abbreviation "EIIR" displayed on the uniform badges of British police and soldiers needed to be replaced by King Charles. At the same time, the word "Queen" printed on British passports will also be changed to "King".
Similar to currencies, royal mailboxes with "EIIR" printed across the UK are unlikely to be completely dismantled. Some postboxes with the word "GR" representing George VI are still in use in some areas today, 70 years later. However, the Uk Post Office is expected to replace the stamps bearing the head of Queen Elizabeth II and replace them with the head of the new monarch Charles. In addition, the Royal Barrister, known as "Queen's Counsel", may be renamed "King's Counsel". In the government proceedings, the term "Regina" representing the Queen's honorific title will also be changed to "Rex".
Red Star News reporter Hu Yiling
Editor-in-charge Deng Xuguang Editor Yang Jue
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