Postage stamp in honour of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th Birthday
Stan Pritchard / Alamy Stock Photo
National anthem
Now that the nation’s monarch is a man, the national anthem will change to ‘God Save the King’. After Charles is officially proclaimed King in a formal ceremony, a public announcement will be made from the balcony at St James’s Palace, ending with the statement: ‘God Save the King’.
Our current national anthem was adopted in this country over 250 years ago. The author of the tune is unknown, although composer John Bull is often credited with the composition. ‘God Save the King’, alternatively ‘God Save the Queen’ (dependent on the sex of the reigning sovereign), is also used as the national anthem across Commonwealth countries.
Passports
All current British passports are issued in the name of ‘Her Majesty’, but for new passports, the wording on the inside of the front cover will be updated to ‘His Majesty’. All passports remain valid for travel.
Passports currently read: ‘Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.’
Royal warrant by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II
David J. Green / Alamy Stock Photo
The royal seal
Any company granted a Royal Warrant currently has the words, ‘by appointment to Her Majesty the Queen’ and the Royal Arms inscribed on their products. From Ketchup to chocolate bars and champagne, there are currently around 900 Royal Warrants held by 800 companies.
When a grantor dies, any Royal Warrants they have issued in their lifetime become invalid and the company has two years to stop using the Royal Arms.
Queen’s Counsel
The country’s leading barristers, previously known as Queen’s Counsel, will become King’s Counsel.
The monarch’s signature
King Charles III’s signature will change from ‘Charles’ to his name plus an additional R for Rex (Latin for king) at the end. In criminal court cases, the R to denote the Crown now stands for Rex rather than Regina.
