We will have to get used to it, after 70 years of reign. From the national anthem to banknotes and coins, stamps and passports, many aspects of daily life in the UK will change after the death of Elizabeth II, which occurred on Thursday September 8. Franceinfo takes stock.
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Coins and banknotes
The face of the new King Charles III will start to appear on coins and banknotes in the UK, replacing the profile of Queen Elizabeth II. His effigy will also appear on several other currencies used in the Eastern Caribbean, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. After Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne in 1952, the change took two years.
Stamps and mailboxes
The face of Elizabeth II also appears on the stamps while the letters EIIR, for Elizabeth II Regina, are affixed to the mailboxes, which will therefore have to be changed, even if some still bear the insignia of George VI, recalls The Guardian. The insignia on police helmets will also change.
Several national anthems
The British national anthem will become God Save the King, with a masculinized version of the lyrics. A habit that will undoubtedly be difficult for the British, who sing God Save the Queen since 1952. It is also one of two national anthems of New Zealand and the royal anthem in Australia and Canada, which have their own national anthems.
Passports from several countries
Wording on the inside cover of British passports, issued in the name of the crown, will also need to be updated, as will similar text that appears inside Australian, Canadian and New Zealand passports.
The names of certain official functions
Names of Her Majesty’s Government (“Her Majesty”), Treasury and Customs will change to become those of “His Majesty”. This will be the king’s speech (“The King’s Speech”) and not that of the Queen who will present the Government’s program to Parliament, opening the parliamentary session. The Queen’s Guard, immortalized by tourists in front of Buckingham Palace, will also change its name.
The police will no longer preserve the peace of the queen but that of the king and the senior lawyers will pass from the status of QC (“Queen’s Counsel”) to that of KC (“King’s Counsel”). Prisoners will no longer be held at will “Her Majesty”but will continue their terms of imprisonment at the option of “His Majesty” the king.
Finally, in the army, new recruits will no longer take “the queen’s shilling”, when they engage, as the formula intended. Nor will they have to submit to the Queen’s regulations.
The name of a London theater
The name of “Her Majesty’s Theater” in the West End, London’s theater district, where the show The Phantom of the Opera has been played since 1986, will also be masculinized.