All The Things That Need To Change Now Charles Is King

Queen Elizabeth II tragically passed away on September 8, 2022, and left an incredible legacy in her wake. As well as being the nation’s longest-reigning monarch, the Queen was there through some of the most prominent historical events in the last century. Now, her passing means that it’s time to make way for King Charles III.

Charles took to the throne as soon as his mother lost her life, but that doesn’t mean it’s an instant transition. Instead, there are plenty of things that need to change now Charles is king. In fact, there are plenty of things that can be easy to overlook, but not when you’re in charge of updating things for the new monarch.

Money is one of the larger things that need to change

One of the more obvious things that need to change now Charles is king is money. That means all the coins and notes that usually bear the Queen have to be updated for the new monarch, but that’s not all. It’s tradition that each ruler faces the other way from the one before. So Charles’ portrait will see him face to the left instead of the right. This won’t be something that happens overnight, either. Instead, the money with Charles’ face will be slowly introduced, with the Queen’s money being phased out at the same time. 

The stamps will change to have a portrait of the King

Becoming king means the world will suddenly get used to seeing Charles’ face more than ever before. That means all the stamps need to be updated to replace ones bearing the Queen. The Queen previously sat for her stamp portrait three weeks after taking to the throne and then again two months later before she approved the images. That means it could be a while before the UK and other Commonwealth nations using the stamps could be waiting a while before they see the final product.

Passports will be updated for His Majesty

One of the many things Charles gets to enjoy now that he’s king is the fact he no longer needs a passport. That doesn’t mean everyone else misses out. Instead, they need to be updated from “Her Majesty’s Passport Office” to “His Majesty’s Passport Office.” It’s a small change, but one that will likely be rolled around for anyone ordering a new passport from now on. 

Mailboxes need to be updated now Charles is king

One of the things people outside the UK might not know is the national postal service is run by the crown. Every monarch gets their own Royal Cypher - with Queen Elizabeth II’s being ERII. This was always seen on things like mailboxes and police helmets, but that will be updated as soon as Charles has his own Royal Cypher. Eventually, this will lead to all the mailboxes across the nation being updated, too.

The national anthem changing is traditional

Did you know it’s not actually the law that dictates the change in the national anthem now that Charles is king? That’s right; the change is actually triggered by tradition instead. It means that the words will be changed to “God save our gracious King” instead of Queen, with substitutions also being made to “he” and “him.”

Losing the Queen was a highly tragic moment and one that changed the UK and Commonwealth forever. Still, seeing Charles take to the throne means a new chapter in everyone’s lives. That is, after all the things that need to change now Charles is king have been taken care of.