The first British coins to feature the image of King Charles have been unveiled by the Royal Mint, with the portrait of the new monarch facing the opposite direction to his late mother Queen Elizabeth in keeping with tradition.
The Royal Mint has shared several new first-look images showing a 50p piece and a £5 Crown, which will be the first coins depicting Charles.
Next month, the Royal Mint is releasing a range of memorial coins to mark the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II.
The new image will appear on 50 pence ($0.55) coins, which will begin circulating in the coming months, and also on a commemorative 5 pound coin which also features two new portraits of Elizabeth on its reverse side.
Since the monarchy was restored in 1660 following the 10-year republic of Oliver Cromwell, it has become traditional for the monarch to face in the opposite direction to their predecessor on coins.
Charles personally approved the official portrait, which shows him facing to the left and was done by British sculptor Martin Jennings. The image is surrounded by a Latin inscription which translates as “King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith.”
King Charles III’s effigy was created by sculptor Martin Jennings and the monarch has given his personal approval of the design.
Jennings said: “It is a privilege to sculpt the first official effigy of His Majesty and to receive his personal approval for the design.
“The portrait was sculpted from a photograph of the King, and was inspired by the iconic effigies that have graced Britain’s coins over the centuries.
