First Pictures Of Banknotes Bearing King Charles III Photo Revealed In UK

On December 20, 2022, we released the design for our King Charles III banknotes. All four of our polymer banknotes (£5, £10, £20, and £50) will include the King's portrait.

King Charles III Banknotes

It follows the progressive replacement of paper bank notes with those printed on polymer - a thin and flexible plastic material - since the launch of the £5 note with Winston Churchill on the back in 2016. (Image Source: Bank of England)

The image of the king will appear on the front of the bank notes, as well as in the see-through security window on the polymer plastic notes. (Image Source: Bank of England)

Threadneedle Street stated that measures had been established in accordance with royal household guidance to reduce the environmental and financial impact of the transition by solely producing new notes to replace worn bank notes and to meet any general rise in demand for the currency. (Image Source: Bank of England)

King Charles will be the only king in British history to appear on a bank note. Although the Bank of England has been producing paper money since the late 1600s, a likeness of the reigning monarch was first depicted in 1960, when the £1 note depicting Queen Elizabeth II was launched for everyday usage. (Image Source: Bank of England)

The Queen's head can also be found on several $20 banknotes in Canada, as well as coins in New Zealand and other Commonwealth countries. Physical currency usage has steadily declined in recent years, owing to the advent of card and contactless payments. (Image Source: Bank of England)