What will happen to current Queen Elizabeth bank notes now new King Charles ones have entered circulation
The days of rifling through your pockets and pulling out a crumpled bank note with Queen Elizabeth's portrait on may soon be a thing of the past, as her son and successor will now feature on them instead.
It's the end of an era for Brits, as most of us have only known cash with the late monarch's face on throughout our lifetimes, so saying goodbye to the iconic image of her will surely come as a shock to many.
Her son and heir, King Charles III, ascended to the throne immediately following the death of his mother on 8 September, 2022, and he has been gradually stepping himself into her shoes as sovereign ever since.
He has had his coronation, got his second birthday in the bag, unveiled his new royal cipher and had his official portrait done, so it was only a matter of time before he replaced Queen Elizabeth II as the face of the Royal Mint.
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The King's portrait will now appear on the existing designs of all four banknotes (£5, £10, £20 and £50), with the Bank of England saying there will be no other changes to the existing designs.
These banknotes will be issued from tomorrow (5 June), so prepare for your cash to look a lot different in the coming days - but don't worry, as ones featuring Queen Elizabeth won't just become worthless overnight.
Instead - with environmental and financial impacts in mind - money featuring the mother and son will co-circulate alongside one another.
The Bank of England explained: "The new banknotes will only be printed to replace those that are worn and to meet any overall increase in demand for banknotes.
"Our approach is in line with guidance from the Royal Household, to minimise the environmental and financial impact of this change."
So, you can continue to use notes featuring the portrait of Her Majesty and there is no specific need to go and swap them all for ones featuring King Charles.
But if you are something of an enthusiast when it comes to the Royal Family, you can get your hands on 'a limited value' of the new banknotes using the Bank of England's postal exchange service.
Simply send off your current or old series banknotes with a completed application form and you'll get the ones with the King on back in the post in exchange, but there is a limit of £300 per person and you must live at a UK address.
The Bank of England counter at Threadneedle Street in London will also be doling out the new banknotes from tomorrow too until 11 June, before they will then revert to issuing Queen Elizabeth II banknotes only on 12 June.
Businesses have been warned to brace themselves for the new cash that will be circulating by getting machines which accept, sort or check banknotes ready to recognise King Charles' face instead.
The King is only the second British monarch to ever be the face of the Bank of England's notes.
Topics: King Charles III, Money, News, Royal Family, The Queen, UK News, Business
Olivia Burke