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King Charles III has been spotted waving to royal fans as he left Clarence House in London today.
The monarch was pictured greeting well-wishers outside the royal residence as he was driven out in his state Bentley limousine.
It is not known where His Majesty, who wore a grey suit and blue tie, was going at the time and he was not accompanied by the Queen.
The King is currently being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer after being diagnosed with a large prostate earlier this year.
It comes as the Charles yesterday greeted the governor of the Bank of England for a historic meeting where he was presented with the first banknotes bearing his portrait.
King Charles III has been seen waving to royal fans as the left Clarence House in London today
The monarch was pictured greeting well-wishers outside the royal residence as he was driven out in his state Bentley limousine
The King praised the notes as ‘very well designed’ and expressed his surprise at being only the second monarch to feature.
He received a leather-bound booklet containing the historic legal tender from Andrew Bailey at Buckingham Palace.
It was a milestone moment for the monarch, who is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer.
‘Good morning Governor. I’m sorry it’s a bit delayed this. I hope it isn’t too delayed,’ Charles said.
But Mr Bailey replied: ‘Not at all. We’re still in advance of launching them.’
Charles remarked: ‘Oh you are? Great.’
King Charles III (left) is presented with the first bank notes featuring his portrait from the Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey at Buckingham Palace
The King and Mr Bailey were joined by Sarah John (right), the Bank of England’s Chief Cashier, whose signature appears on the currency
Charles and Mr Bailey were joined by Sarah John, the Bank of England’s Chief Cashier, whose signature appears on the currency, and the King gave a broad grin as he greeted his guests in the 1844 Room.
Ms John told the King they were the number 1 notes in the series and that the general public would start to see them early in June.
The King replied: ‘I wondered how it would come out.’
Charles inspected the four £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes – the first low-numbered note of each denomination with 01 000001 serial numbers – and pointed and smiled at the details as Mr Bailey turned the pages, showing the front and back.
King Charles is only the second British monarch to grace the Bank of England’s notes – and it is the first time one sovereign’s image has been replaced with another.
Although notes began to be issued from the late 17th century, Charles’s mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was the first British sovereign to be given the honour in 1960 on a £1 paper note. Before this, Britannia was the only character to have appeared.
A view of the £5 and £10 bank notes bearing a portrait of King Charles III, which will enter circulation on June 5
The other side of the £5 and £10 bank notes can be seen on the left, while the £20 and £50 notes bearing the King’s face can be seen on the right
Mr Bailey said as he prepared to hand over the book: ‘We have come to present you with your bank notes.’
It prompted Charles, who was stood with his hands behind his back, to chuckle and remark: ‘Oh right.’
Mr Bailey told him: ‘This is quite a big moment because we’ve never changed the sovereign on the bank notes because the Queen was the first sovereign to be on the bank notes.’
Charles replied: ‘This is what is so surprising. You would think that it goes back.’
The King inspected the notes and praised the intricate features incorporated to prevent counterfeits, saying: ‘A lot trouble taken in on the security side.’
‘They’re very well designed I must say,’ he added.
The meeting between the Governor of the Bank of England and King Charles took place this morning
King Charles III reacts to the first bank notes featuring his portrait as Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey shows him the leather-bound booklet
The money will be issued gradually into circulation from June 5 – with Charles’s portrait featuring on the front of the banknotes, as well as in cameo in the see-through security window, visible on the front and back.
The reverse side characters remain unchanged from previous editions – with Sir Winston Churchill on the £5, Jane Austen on the £10, JMW Turner on the £20 and Alan Turing on the £50.
Charles expressed his admiration of the artistry, saying of the £5: ‘It’s a very good photograph of Sir Winston.’
And he took a particular liking to the back of the £20 and the £50.
‘They’re very elegant these ones, I must say,’ he said.
Existing notes featuring the portrait of the late Queen will continue to be legal tender, so the Elizabeth II and King Charles III notes will co-circulate.
New notes will only be printed to replace worn-out ones and to meet any overall increase in demand in order to minimise the environmental and financial impact of the change – in keeping with the Royal Household’s request.
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