King Charles saw his own face on the new banknotes, which will appear in circulation in June. At Buckingham Palace, the King was presented with the first of the new £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, which will feature his portrait.
This is in line with tradition when the monarch receives the first issues of new notes. Existing banknotes issued during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II will continue to be used alongside the new banknotes, writes the BBC.
King Charles has been away from major public events since being diagnosed with cancer, but continues to attend private events, such as this meeting where he was shown banknotes by Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey.
Mr. Bailey told the King that this is the first time the Bank of England has had to change a monarch on bank notes – the late Queen Elizabeth II was the first monarch to have her portrait featured on all Bank of England notes.
This is what is so surprising. You'd think it had a long history,
said King Charles.
The king, who was presented with a set of banknotes with serial numbers 00001, described the design as “very elegant”.< /p>
The new polymer banknotes feature an engraving of King Charles based on a photograph taken in 2013. Unlike the banknotes of his mother's reign, the king does not wear a crown.
New banknote featuring King Charles/Bank of Great Britain
The notes mark one of the last major steps in the transition to King Charles' reign, with new stamps and coins already in circulation.< /p>
The Bank of England says that banknotes featuring King Charles will be phased in while the current banknotes featuring Queen Elizabeth will remain in circulation until worn or damaged. p>
So, while the new notes will be introduced on June 5, it may be several months before people see them in regular circulation, the bank says. The trend towards cashless payments may also mean that changes to banknotes are not immediately visible.
The first new banknotes were printed last year, and the long preparation time allowed automatic cash-accepting machines to update to recognize new design.