First Look at King Charles III's New Banknotes

Per the Bank of England, new banknotes featuring the king are expected to enter circulation by mid-2024.

New paper banknotes featuring King Charles III are coming to England -- and the royal family just revealed what they'll look like.

"Today, The Bank of England has unveiled designs for new bank notes featuring His Majesty The King. They are expected to enter circulation in the UK by mid-2024. Although the Monarch’s likeness has appeared on coins since the eighth century, bank notes are a much more recent invention,' they announced via social media on Tuesday. "The British Sovereign has only been featured on British bank notes since 1960, making His Majesty just the second Monarch - and the first King - to appear on currency in this way."

His Majesty's portrait will appear on existing designs of all four polymer banknotes (£5, £10, £20 and £50). This will be a continuation of the current polymer series and no additional changes to the banknote designs will be made.

Charles appears on both the front and back of the banknote, as well as in cameo in the see-through security window.

Existing stocks of notes featuring Queen Elizabeth II will continue to be issued into circulation. New notes will only be printed to replace worn banknotes and to meet any overall increase in demand for banknotes, as part of the royal household's efforts to minimize "the environmental and financial impact of the change of monarch."

Current banknotes featuring the portrait of the queen -- who first appeared on Bank of England banknotes in 1960 -- will continue to be legal tender and will only be removed from circulation once they have become worn or damaged.

Money with the queen's image will also continue to circulate, along with those featuring King Charles III, until no longer available.

The Bank of England first announced the banknotes in September, just days after Buckingham Palace released a photo of the newly minted monarch carrying out official government duties.

The Associated Press

Taken in the Eighteenth Century Room at Buckingham Palace last week, the new pic shows Charles reviewing documents from The King’s Red Box, which contains papers from government ministers in the United Kingdom and the Realms and from representatives from the Commonwealth and beyond. The documents are sent from the Private Secretary’s Office to the King, wherever he may be in residence, in a locked red despatch box.

As Charles is hard at work, his parents are keeping close watch, as a photo of the late royals sits behind the sovereign. The pic of the then-Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, which was taken by Baron Studios, was given to King George VI for Christmas in 1951.

Following Queen Elizabeth's death, ET spoke with Grant Harrold, the former butler of the royal household, who shared what kind of monarch he believes Charles will make.

"He's an amazing man. He's like his mother. He's funny, he's witty, he's about tradition," Harrold said. "... I think he will be a good king, personally, because I've seen what he's like as a person."

For more on the royal family, check out the video below.

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