Why is King Charles III not wearing a crown on his stamps and coins? (2024)

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Why is King Charles III not wearing a crown on his stamps and coins? ›

Like with most royal decisions, this essentially comes down to tradition and typically, male monarchs do not wear crowns or royal regalia on coins. He will, however, be the first monarch on a stamp to not have a crown as King George VI, the last male monarch, featured a crown in his stamp design.

That's because it is tradition that only female monarchs wear a crown on their coins, and if you look back through the coins over the last several hundred years you'll see just that.

The minimalist, unadorned picture, with no crown on the stamp or any other decoration, was approved personally by the King. "The feedback we got back was that he wanted it to be simple," said Royal Mail director of external affairs, David Gold. "It's a very human image, with no embellishment," he said.

At the climax of the ceremony, the St Edward's Crown was placed on Charles's head - a solid gold crown, dating from 1661. This is the centrepiece of the Crown Jewels at the Tower of London, and is only worn by the monarch at the moment of coronation itself (not least because it weighs a hefty 2.23kg - almost 5lbs).

However, there have been other reports that indicate that King Charles is unconcerned, if not even slightly amused, by The Crown. According to Scottish MP Anas Sarwar, at the state opening of Scottish Parliament in October 2021, Charles said something along the lines of "Hello, nice to meet you all.

Other theories suggest that King Charles isn't wearing a crown because he's not officially allowed to wear one yet. No images of the new king wearing any crown, including the Imperial State Crown or St Edward's Crown, are permitted until he has his coronation.

Men don't wear tiaras. Monarchs only wear a royal crown on very rare occasions such as a coronation, if it is the custom of the country. Royal crowns are heavy, uncomfortable, and only meant for ceremonial use.

The break with tradition was mainly in keeping with Charles' reported desire that the coronation be “meritocratic not aristocratic”, which saw the aristocracy largely replaced with “community heroes” who had earned their place, according to Reuters.

The king will be crowned with St Edward's crown by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and he wears this crown once. But during his exit from Westminster Abbey, he will wear the lighter Imperial State Crown.

The reason for the change is that the consort's crown includes the Koh-i-Noor, a legendary 105-carat diamond whose name means “mountain of light” in Persian. Several countries have claimed rightful ownership of the diamond and demanded it back, including India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.

How did Charles react when Diana died? ›

In King: The Life of Charles III, Christopher Andersen says Charles was "ashen and trembling" when he heard the news of Diana's death. "He let out a cry of pain that was so spontaneous and came from the heart. Palace staff rushed over to Charles' room and found him collapsed in an armchair, weeping uncontrollably."

The 2007 inquiry conducted by Metropolitan Police found that while Fayed may have been planning a proposal, that evidence points to the conclusion that one did not take place, per CBS News. The ring was found at Fayed's flat, which Diana had not visited that day.

I'm way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family, or my wife, or myself. That is obviously fiction—take it how you will—but this is being reported on as fact because you're supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”

Which crown will King Charles wear? King Charles will wear the St. Edward's Crown, which was last used for crowning Elizabeth II in 1953. The crown is made of a solid gold frame that weighs nearly five pounds along with a purple velvet cap and an ermine band.

Rebecca Morgan, Director of Collector Services at The Royal Mint, said: “Today marks a new era for UK coinage, with the effigy of King Charles III appearing on 50ps in circulation. It's a fantastic opportunity for coin collectors to add to their collections, or start one for the first time.

1981 Charles and Diana Royal Wedding 25p Crown

Prince Charles features in a smiling double portrait alongside Lady Diana Spencer on a collectible coin issued to celebrate their 1981 wedding.