After being placed under medical monitoring earlier in the day at her Scottish home, Balmoral Castle, Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-reigning head of state, passed away on Thursday at the age of 96.
The throne will now be inherited by her son Prince Charles III.
So will the currency change?
Queen Elizabeth II notes will continue to be accepted as legal tender and can be exchanged, according to the Bank of England.
But, all new bills and coins that will be produced will now feature King Charles III.
Regarding the coins, it has been traditional since King Charles II’s reign for the portraits of new rulers to face the opposite way from those of their predecessors. In contrast to his mother Elizabeth’s coins, which had images to the right, King Charles III would therefore be facing the left.
It should take around two years to gradually phase out existing coins and banknotes and replace the queen’s picture with a portrait of Charles.
