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King Charles III's new monogram revealed at end of mourning

The Associated Press
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David White, Garter King of Arms, holds one of the first letters to be franked with the new cypher of Britain's King Charles III in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace, London, Tuesday Sept. 27, 2022. Along with the Royal Household mail the cypher will be used by government departments and appear on government buildings, state documents and on some post boxes in the coming months and years. (Yui Mok/Pool via AP)

LONDON — King Charles III’s new monogram was revealed on Tuesday as the official period of mourning for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, came to a close.

The emblem, known as the king’s cypher, will appear on government buildings, state documents and some post boxes in the coming months and years.

It features the initial C intertwined with the letter R for Rex, the Latin word for king. The Roman numeral III sits in the centre of the R and a crown hovers above the letters.

The symbol was selected from a series of designs prepared by the College of Arms, a 500-year-old body that oversees the issuance of new coats of arms and other aspects of heraldry in England. A Scottish version of the cypher features the Scottish Crown, and was approved by Lord Lyon King of Arms, who has similar responsibilities in Scotland.

Also Tuesday, the Bank of England said it would reveal images of new banknotes featuring a portrait of the king by the end of this year.

Old coins and banknotes featuring images of Queen Elizabeth II will be replaced only as they wear out, so initially currency bearing pictures of both monarchs will circulate in tandem, the central bank said.