First King Charles III red post box unveiled

London, UK
Reuters

The first red mail pillar box to bear the cypher of King Charles III was unveiled on Friday, keeping up a tradition dating back almost 175 years.

The new box has been installed on the High Street in Great Cambourne, central England, and local school children will get to post the first letters, missives to the King himself about their interest in the environment.

Pupils from the Vine Inter-Church Primary School Ankita Ghosh and Miriam Miller and Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Julie Spence pose for a photocall with the first postbox bearing the cypher of Britain’s King Charles III, in Great Cambourne, Britain, on 12th July, 2024. PICTURE: Reuters/Chris Radburn

The mail box bears the king’s cypher, the monogram that appears on government buildings which consists of the initials ‘C’ and ‘R’ – representing Charles’s name and “Rex”, the Latin for king – alongside a depiction of the crown.

One of Britain’s most recognisable symbols, red pillar boxes appear on countless postcards and souvenir items, with about 115,000 in operation across the country.

The first post box was introduced in the 1850s, and their age can be traced by the royal cypher they bear, with the oldest dating back to the reign of Queen Victoria, Charles’ great-great-great grandmother.

Although new boxes have been installed since Charles succeeded his mother in September, 2022, existing stocks bearing the late Queen’s cypher were used.