What happens to stamps, coins, banknotes and passports after the death of the Queen?

It’s hard to know what’s appropriate to write sometimes when faced with an event that profoundly affects the nation, and the entire world. The death of the Queen has prompted a period of reflection and great sadness for many people. It has also led to a great many questions from readers.

Times Money Mentor will be covering many of the ongoing issues raised by the cost-of-living crisis and the impact of the government’s proposals regarding energy bills and affordability in the coming days and weeks.

It’s vital that people still know what their rights are and how they can find help when faced with financial challenges. We’re running a four-week cost of living newsletter campaign to help you cope with the stark financial winter ahead. To get the newsletters, sign up here.

However, this week, I’ll be answering some of the questions that have arisen since the death of Her Majesty and the upcoming coronation of King Charles III.    

Will I be able to travel to London to pay my respects?

As the Times reported this week, over 750,000 people are expected to descend on the capital in the coming days to pay their respects to the Queen. Some predictions suggest millions of people may choose to attend the commemorations, leading some commentators to declare London will be ‘full’.

Crowds have gathered around Buckingham Palace and Green Park and transport problems are already occurring in central London.

Unfortunately, there are already long-established problems on the inter-city trains, with Avanti West Coast running a reduced timetable, while the Rail Delivery Group is warning that all trains to London will be ‘exceptionally busy’ over the next week.

Strike action in the coming days has been cancelled, bringing a glimmer of good news for travellers.

If you decide not to travel, you can usually move the date of your booking by paying a fee (up to £10 depending on the operator). If your train is cancelled, you should get a full refund, but don’t assume it will be automatic unless you are told that this will be the case. Check the refund rules on each train operator’s website.

If you’re planning on getting in the car, your problem is twofold.

Firstly, roads are expected to be very busy indeed. Expect major road closures in London with huge pressures on the roads that remain open.

Secondly, parking will be a nightmare. So think carefully before you set out in a vehicle to visit London. You might want to consider pre-booking a parking space – but expect these to fill up quickly.

What will happen with stamps and the postal strikes?

Stamps featuring the Queen’s head will continue to be valid until 31 January 2023. That specific date isn’t related to the introduction of stamps bearing the image of King Charles III, however.

Earlier this year, it was announced that stamps are changing and will now feature a barcode. Those stamps lurking in your drawer or wallet can still be used but will be phased out at the end of January 2023. Non-barcoded Christmas stamps will still remain valid.

If you don’t think you’ll get through your stash of stamps in time, you can swap them through the Royal Mail’s ‘swap out’ scheme. Annoyingly, you can’t swap out your old stamps in the Post Office branches – you need to fill out a form and post it back.

Royal Mail has announced that services will be suspended on the day of the Queen’s funeral – 19 September 2022. Strike action due to go ahead on 9 September 2022 was called off and the next strike is not due until 30 September 2022.

Will currency featuring the Queen expire soon?

As with stamps, King Charles III’s likeness will eventually replace that of the Queen on UK notes and coins. However, this process will take some time.

The Queen has featured on bank notes since 1960 and on coins since 1953. The Bank of England has confirmed that notes featuring the Queen will continue to be legal tender – but has stated that they will make a further announcement after the period of mourning has ended.

Readers may recall that the current £20 and £50 notes are due to be withdrawn on 30 September 2022. Assuming the Bank of England doesn’t extend that deadline, these notes will seek to be legal tender.

This means you will not be able to use the notes in shops or to pay for goods and services to businesses. You’ll be able to deposit expired notes after this date with many banks (and sometimes through the Post Office).

Lots of people forget that you can exchange notes direct with the Bank of England at their counter or through the post too.

What about passports?

British passports issued in the name of Her Majesty remain valid for travel and will continue to be until the printed date of expiry.

However, for new passport applications, the wording on the inside of the front cover will be updated to His Majesty.

What are my rights if ticketed events are cancelled?

If a gig, sporting event or anything similar is cancelled you are entitled to a full refund of the face value of the ticket. Usually, the promoter or event organiser will refund you on to the card you paid with if the event is off completely. 

It’s likely that many ticketed events cancelled in the last week or coming days will be rescheduled. If you can’t attend a rescheduled event, you should be entitled to a full refund too. Make sure you explain to the selling agent why you can’t attend though.

Things become a bit more complicated if the event is going ahead but you can’t get there due to transport problems.

As I’ve previously mentioned, it’s expected that London will be exceptionally busy in the coming week, which, coupled with already high demand for reduced train services, means you might not be able to get to an event in the capital if your train, flight or even coach is cancelled.

Under these circumstances, the ticket company or event organiser isn’t technically at fault, so you might have use their resale options. Most ticket firms allow you to resell tickets through their websites as a way to challenge the ticket resale agencies or touts. But if your ticket doesn’t sell, you lose the cash.

A better option might be to ‘gift’ the ticket to a friend or family member.

Again, most ticket firms and box offices will allow you to do this, but usually you must regift the ticket a good 48 hours before the event. You’ll probably have to download and use the ticket firm’s app to do this.

Take a deep breath before you do so – every one I have used is a massive, frustrating faff. But persevere and you should get there in the end.

The 19 September has been declared a bank holiday – do I legally get a day off?

It has been announced that Monday 19 September will be a public holiday in respect of the Queen’s funeral. However, as with other bank holidays, there is no statutory entitlement to a day off.

It will depend on your role, such as if you are a key worker, your contract and the hours you typically work. Speak to your employer to find out if they will be honouring the public day of mourning or if you will be required to carry out your duties as normal.

Some services will continue to operate, as will many vital services. You can find out more about your rights when it comes to working on the Government’s advice page.