For many decades, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on banknotes and coins in the United Kingdom. In addition, her image has appeared on the currency of dozens of other countries and regions across the globe as a constant reminder of the imperial reach of the British empire.
The question now is, what comes following her passing away this week. It will take some time for nations such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as well as others, to replace the monarchs depicted on their money.
However, this does not indicate that the legislation are ineffective since they are.
Take a glance at what’s to come for the paper currency depicting the late queen in the following image.
It is anticipated that the face of the queen would be replaced on British notes and coins with a depiction of the future King Charles III; however, this change will not take place immediately.
According to the Bank of England’s statement, “Current banknotes containing the picture of Her Majesty The Queen will continue to be lawful currency.” It was said that a statement about the current paper money produced by the United Kingdom’s central bank would be made once the formal time of mourning of ten days has concluded.
According to the website Coin Expert, “it is much easier to enforce a new design in the country where it originates, rather than in other countries where different jurisdiction may take place.” This means that other countries’ currencies that feature the queen, such as the dollars of Australia, Canada, and Belize, will also be updated with the new monarch. These currencies include the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar, and the Belizean dollar. The process could take longer, however, because “it is much easier to enforce a new design in the country where it
The current banknote for twenty dollars in Canada is constructed of a synthetic polymer, and according to the Bank of Canada, it is meant “to circulate for years to come.”
In most cases, when a new topic for the picture on Canadian currency is selected, the process starts with the creation of a new design, and “a few years later,” according to what the bank indicated, a new note is ready to be released.
The Reserve Bank of New Zealand has said that it would distribute all of its existing supply of coins featuring the queen before releasing any new ones with the portrait of Charles. The queen is also seen on the twenty dollar bill, which is described as being produced “infrequently.” Despite this, the bank has said that there are no plans to “destroy stock or limit the life of current banknotes solely because they portray the Queen.”
“It will be some years before we are required to offer coins portraying King Charles the Third, and it will be much longer before inventories of $20 notes are depleted,” the document said.
She made her first appearance on currency while she was still a princess, and that was in 1935, when she was featured on the $20 bill of Canada as part of a new series of notes. At the time, her grandpa King George V was the king of the country, and Princess Elizabeth was just 8 years old.
According to Guinness World Records, Queen Elizabeth II holds the record for having her image appear on the most number of different currencies (33), which is more than any other monarch in history.
In countries where she is still a well-liked figure, such as Canada, and on countries that continue to use the Union Jack in their flags, like as Australia and New Zealand, her portrait may still be seen on the currency of such countries.
The Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, which is the monetary authority for a group of small nations that includes Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, has also used her image on banknotes and coins that it has issued. Her image can be found on all of these currencies.
After gaining independence from Britain in 1962, Jamaica’s central bank replaced images of the queen on paper notes with photographs of national heroes such as Marcus Garvey. This practise has long since been discontinued in other locations.
In place of portraits of the queen, the currency of the Seychelles now bears images of native flora and fauna. The currency of Bermuda underwent a similar transformation, but the queen is still depicted on the bills to a lesser extent. The currency of Trinidad and Tobago was replaced with a coat of arms after the country became a republic.
Chinese dragons and skyscrapers on the skyline of the Asian financial capital are shown on the Hong Kong dollars that were minted after the United Kingdom gave its territory back to Beijing in 1997.