Queen Elizabeth II's image is ubiquitous. Her face is on British money — the blue 5-pound notes, the bronze 1-pound coin. It's on post boxes and stamps. The royal arms is on condiment jars and jackets. But before long, the visage of King Charles III will replace his mother's in official and unofficial capacities
British currency is displayed for a photograph in London on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022. Queen Elizabeth II’s image is ubiquitous. But before long, the visage of King Charles III will replace his mother’s in official and unofficial capacities. (Alexander Coggin/The New York Times)
Queen Elizabeth II’s image is ubiquitous. Her face is on British money — the blue 5-pound notes, the bronze 1-pound coin. It’s on post boxes and stamps. The royal arms is on condiment jars and jackets. Since her death this month, Elizabeth’s face has been all over nonstop news coverage. But before long, the visage of King Charles III will replace his mother’s in official and unofficial capacities.
A lot will be changing. But there is a silver lining of sorts for this royal makeover.
“The cost of the monarchy, which is significant, comes with the ongoing costs which ought to be reined in and haven’t been reined in,” said Norman Baker, a former government minister and the author of the book “ … And What Do You Do? What the Royal Family Don’t Want You to Know.”
In other words, everything is already so expensive that replacing one royal with another isn’t a major investment.
It is not uncommon to come across mailboxes adorned with the insignia of monarchs who served long before Elizabeth. There are around 115,500 mailboxes throughout the United Kingdom, and 61.4% of those, which date back as far as the reign of Queen Victoria, bear Elizabeth’s royal cipher, according to the Royal Mail Group. All mailboxes and those already in production with Elizabeth’s initials will remain intact, the service’s website says.
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