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The death of Queen Elizabeth II at the age of 96 plunged millions into mourning.
As people share stories of special moments with the Queen, crowds have queued for up to 11 hours to see her coffin at Westminster Hall. It’s been on show for 24 hours a day since Wednesday, with officials reportedly estimating 350,000 people would get to visit before the queue closes. The BBC’s live stream of the Queen’s ‘lying in state’ was watched more than 7m times in just two days.
But her passing on September 8, and the ascent of her son to the throne as King Charles II, brings more practical and costly changes than a new monarch opening Parliament or delivering Christmas speech to the public each year. As the personal embodiment of the monarchy, and a mascot for the nation, for the last 70 years, the Queen’s insignia and portrait have permeated everyday life.
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Queen Elizabeth II’s mark is emblazoned on the money we spend in shops, the stamps we stick on letters, the post boxes we pop them into. The monarch’s name and cypher are everywhere, with some jobs even bearing their title. With the Queen’s funeral tomorrow, on Monday, September 19, much of that will change in the coming months and years, in the UK as well as elsewhere in the Commonwealth.
Money
Coins and banknotes will change to reflect the ascent of King Charles to the throne. The Governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, expressed “profound sadness” at the Queen’s death, saying: “As the first monarch to feature on Bank of England banknotes, the Queen’s iconic portraits are synonymous with some of the most important work we do.”
He said current banknotes featuring the Queen’s image will remain legal tender, with a further announcement to be made after the period of mourning, which ends on Monday, September 19, the day of the Queen’s funeral. It’s expected existing coins and banknotes will phased out, staying in circulation for a while as they’re replaced with currency bearing the new King’s portrait.
QC to KC
Even some of the country’s top barristers have to discard their business cards thanks to the nationwide rebranding. With the change in the monarchy, the roughly 1,900 senior trial lawyers known as Queen’s Counsel (QC) for their entire careers automatically became King’s Counsel (KC) overnight.
Although the title change was immediate, the wig and gown-wearing lawyers will have to change any social media or stationary featuring the title, which was originally created by the first Queen Elizabeth in 1597.
Stamps and postboxes
Queen Elizabeth II stamps are expected to soar in value, with one expert saying “Royal stamps depicting Queen Elizabeth II will be most sought after”.
Every stamp created in Britain from February 6, 1952 to the Queen’s death on September 8, 2022, featured the Queen’s image, “usually in the forms of the Wilding portrait, the Machin definitive or the Gillick silhouette”, according to Royal Mail. The Machin portrait of the Queen wearing a tiara, first issued on a Royal Mail stamp in 1967, has been reproduced an estimated 220 billion times. Royal Mail said it’s “considered to be one of the most reproduced images in the world”.
Unused stamps that have already been issued remain valid for use until January 31, 2023, when barcoded stamps replace current, non-barcoded ones. All Special Stamps already announced will be issued, but as with money, stamps featuring a portrait of King Charles are likely to be phased in. Royal Mail said: “We will make further announcements at the appropriate time after consultation with Buckingham Palace.”
Post boxes, however, won’t change. More than 60% of postboxes in the UK feature the EIIR mark of Queen Elizabeth II, making her insignia, or cypher, the most commonly seen in the UK, according to Royal Mail. Post boxes have carried the insignia of the reigning monarch at the time of their placement since post boxes were introduced in 1852.
This means some post boxes feature VR for Queen Victoria, and 171 boxes bear EVIIIR from the short reign of Edward VIII in 1936, with four of the Edwardian post boxes in Merseyside. Any postboxes currently in production or being prepared for installation will retain Queen Elizabeth II’s insignia. Eventually, post boxes will appear with a new mark – CIIR. The R stands for ‘Rex’ or ‘Regina’, which are Latin for ‘King’ and ‘Queen’.
Many uniforms, like those worn by police officers, also feature the Queen’s cypher, meaning these will need to be updated with the new King’s version.
Passports
UK passports currently feature the words: “Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
This will need to be tweaked from “Her” to “His”, which will come in gradually as people replace existing passports when they expire.
National anthem
After 70 years singing ‘God Save the Queen’, it might be tough getting used to different lyrics, but the UK’s national anthem is also changing thanks to the succession. The son was first publicly performed in London in 1745, during the Jacobite rising when the deposed Stuart family fought to regain the British throne after Catholics were excluded from the line of succession.
First performed “in a fit of patriotic fervour”, according to the Royal Family’s website, it became the national anthem at the start of the 19th century. There “is no authorised version of the National Anthem as the words are a matter of tradition”, with verses added over time.
On official occasions, only the first verse is sung. The words of that version are the same as those sung in 1745, with singers substituting ‘Queen’ for ‘King’ depending on the reigning monarch.
You can light a candle for Queen Elizabeth II here or leave a tribute to her here.
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