From the national anthem to banknotes and coins, postage stamps and passports, many aspects of daily life in the UK will change with the accession of Charles III to the throne.
Currency and postage stamps
The face of the new King Charles III will begin to appear on coins and banknotes in the UK and other countries around the world, replacing Queen Elizabeth II’s profile.
His effigy will also appear on many other coins used in the Eastern Caribbean, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Ditto in the Channel Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man as well as Gibraltar, Saint Helena and the Falklands, islands and territories controlled by the British crown.
In 1936, during the reign of King Edward VIII, which lasted 326 days, coins had been minted, but the monarch abdicated before they went into circulation.
The face of Elizabeth II also appears on the stamps, while the letters EIIR, for Queen Elizabeth II, are posted on the letterboxes, so it will have to be changed. The badges on police helmets will also change.
Anthem and passports
The British national anthem will become “God Save the King”, with a masculinized version of the lyrics.
A habit that will undoubtedly be difficult for the British, who have been singing “God Save the Queen” since 1952. It is also one of the two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem of Australia and Canada. – who have their own hymns.
The wording on the inside cover of British passports, issued in the name of the crown, will need to be updated, as will similar text appearing inside Australian, Canadian and New Zealand passports.
When you raise your glass at official meetings, you should no longer say “the queen” but “the king”. In the Channel Islands, the unofficial formula “La reine, notre duc” pronounced in French during the warm-up will become “Le roi, notre duc”.
Politics and rights
The names of His Majesty’s Government (“His Majesty”), the Treasury and Customs will be changed to “His Majesty”.
It will be the king’s speech (“the king’s speech”) and not that of the queen that will present the government’s program to parliament, opening the parliamentary session.
The Queen’s Guard, immortalized by tourists in front of Buckingham Palace, will also change its name.
The police will no longer keep the queen’s peace but the king’s and experienced lawyers will switch from QC (“Queen’s Counselor”) to KC (“King’s Counselor”) status.
The prisoners will no longer be detained at the pleasure of “his majesty”, but will continue their period of confinement at the pleasure of “his majesty”, the king.
In the army, new recruits will no longer get “the queen’s shilling” upon drafting, as the formula indicates. Nor will they have to comply with the Queen’s regulations.
The name “Her Majesty’s Theater” in London’s West End theater district, where The Phantom of the Opera has been played since 1986, it will also be masculinized.
And those who aspire to speak “the Queen’s English” will now have to strive to speak like Charles III: “the King’s English”.