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| Photo Credit: AP. |
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Royal Mint has unveiled the first coins to feature the portrait of King Charles III.
Britons will
begin to see Charles’ image in their change from around December, as 50-pence
coins depicting him gradually enter circulation.
The new
monarch’s effigy was created by British sculptor Martin Jennings, and has been
personally approved by Charles, the Royal Mint said Friday. In keeping with
tradition, the king’s portrait faces to the left — the opposite direction to his
mother’s, Queen Elizabeth II.
“Charles has
followed that general tradition that we have in British coinage, going all the
way back to Charles II actually, that the monarch faces in the opposite
direction to their predecessor,” said Chris Barker at the Royal Mint Museum.
Charles is
depicted without a crown. A Latin inscription surrounding the portrait
translates to “King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith.”
A separate
memorial 5-pound coin remembering the life and legacy of Elizabeth will be
released Monday. One side of this coin features Charles, while the reverse side
features two new portraits of Elizabeth side by side.
Based in
south Wales, the Royal Mint has depicted Britain’s royal family on coins for
over 1,100 years, documenting each monarch since Alfred the Great.
“When first we used to make coins, that was
the only way that people could know what the monarch actually looked like, not
in the days of social media like now,” said Anne Jessopp, chief executive of
the Royal Mint. “So the portrait of King Charles will be on each and every coin
as we move forward.”
Jennings,
the sculptor, said the portrait was sculpted from a photo of Charles.
“It is the
smallest work I have created, but it is humbling to know it will be seen and
held by people around the world for centuries to come,” he said.
Charles
acceded to the throne Sept. 8 upon the death of his mother, Britain’s
longest-reigning monarch, who died at age 96.
Around 27
billion coins bearing Elizabeth II’s image currently circulate in the United
Kingdom All will remain legal tender and be in active circulation, to be
replaced over time as they become damaged or worn.