Sign of the times
New King’s cypher revealed.. and it was chosen by Charles
THE King’s new cypher, which will soon become an everyday sight across Britain, has been revealed.
Featuring the intertwined letters CR, it is to appear on coins, stamps, postboxes and passports.
It will also feature on government buildings, medals, official papers, military uniforms and royal staff clothes.
Buckingham Palace unveiled the new design last night. The King was recently spotted wearing it on his tie.
It will replace the ER cypher used during the late Queen’s 70-year reign.
That appears on more than 60% of the 115,000 red and gold post boxes.
There are no plans to replace those pillar boxes, but any new ones will bear the King’s new cypher.
The King personally chose the design from a series prepared by the College of Arms. The college was founded in 1484 and is responsible for creating and maintaining official registers of coats of arms and pedigrees. It is made up of members of the Royal Household who act under Crown authority.
The cypher’s R stands for “rex”, the Latin word for king, while the late Queen’s R stood for “regina”, which means queen.
The tradition of signing with the initial R dates back to Henry I in the 12th century. A different version of the cypher featuring the Scottish crown, which will be used north of the border, has also been revealed.
Buckingham Palace’s Court Post Office will frank the first items of mail with the King’s new cypher today.
The post room deals with 200,000 items of mail each year, including invitations to events and responses to letters and cards.
The new cypher is the first of many changes the public will see following the death of the Queen.
Stamps bearing the King’s silhouette, which will face in the opposite direction to his mother, will soon be released.
New passports will now be printed with the wording on the inside of the front cover changed to His Majesty.
Bank notes and coins featuring the King’s face will also begin going into circulation around the country in the coming months and years.
WITH the Royal Family’s official period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II now over, King Charles III faces the task of preserving the 1,200-year-old monarchy.
Throughout her 70 years on the throne, Her Majesty charted a careful course in her handling of the 56 countries of the Commonwealth.
He role was rarely debated, mainly due to the deep affection held for the Queen.
But now she is gone, King Charles faces an immense challenge as an increasing number of nations question whether their Commonwealth ties are still relevant.
PRESIDENT
As well as the UK, the King is head of state for 14 realms: Belize; Tuvalu; Antigua and Barbuda; Australia; The Bahamas; Canada; Grenada; Jamaica; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and the Solomon Islands.
The remaining countries are independent of the monarchy, but are still within the Commonwealth.
The 1949 London Declaration allowed republics and other countries to join the Commonwealth of Nations.
But now many people in the 14 realms wish to follow Barbados, which became a republic in November, replacing the monarch with a president. Such thoughts were strengthened by the controversy surrounding tours around Caribbean countries by the new Prince and Princess of Wales and the Earl and Countess of Wessex this year.
William and Kate’s trip to Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas in March was criticised for “tone deaf ” images reminiscent of colonial days.
The controversial photos showed the couple, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, shaking hands with crowds in Kingston, Jamaica, from behind a mesh wire fence and riding in the back of a Land Rover.
The couple also met calls for Britain to pay reparations for the slave trade.
And in Belize, they had to call off a visit to a village after protests by locals, who said they had not been consulted about the engagement.
In April, Edward and Sophie also faced calls for reparations for slavery during their tour of Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Here, we look at what some Commonwealth realms say about links to the monarchy.