The King without the crown: Royal Mail unveils stamps with the face of King Charles III

The British Royal Mail revealed its new definitive stamps that featured the new British monarch King Charles III. The UK Royal Mail took to Twitter to reveal the regal stamp which features the face of the King and is an adapted version of a portrait created by Martin Jennings. The Royal Family then took to Twitter to share the stamp which is expected to go on general sale for the first time, on April 4, 2023. The 74-year-old monarch took over the throne following the death of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. The queen who passed away in September last year still holds the title of the longest-reigning British monarch. 

“Today, we reveal our new definitive stamp featuring the image of King Charles III. The image of HM The King is an adapted version of the portrait created by Martin Jennings for The Royal Mint. The stamps will go on general sale from 4 April 2023” the Royal Mail Stamps wrote on Twitter. One of the interesting highlights of the stamp is that it features the king with no crown. The stamp has a very minimalistic look to it and the king can be seen wearing no jewellery or decorations, unlike his predecessors. The Wednesday stamp marks the first time a monarch other than Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on British stamps in seven decades. “@RoyalMailStamps have revealed their new ‘every day’ stamp featuring The King. The image is the same as the effigy which will feature on coins. The stamp will be available from 4 April,” the royal family wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.  

Today, we reveal our new definitive stamp featuring the image of King Charles III.

The image of HM The King is an adapted version of the portrait created by Martin Jennings for The Royal Mint.

The stamps will go on general sale from 4 April 2023. pic.twitter.com/xlmt9gsX7a

— Royal Mail Stamps (@RoyalMailStamps) February 8, 2023

📮@RoyalMailStamps have revealed their new ‘every day’ stamp featuring The King.

The image is the same as the effigy which will feature on coins.

The stamp will be available from 4 April. pic.twitter.com/QI5kQue86i

— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) February 8, 2023

A subtle expression of simplicity deeply rooted in history 

With this King Charles III became the seventh British monarch to appear on stamps, the first was Queen Victoria, who appeared on the stamp back in 1840. While the King not wearing the crown or any other jewels indicates the simplicity of the stamps, the British monarch not wearing his crown for the stamp is not a new fashion. The Queen’s father King George VI also didn’t wear any crowns in his stamp portrait as well. The Royal Mail, Director of External Affairs told the media, that the King wanted to keep it simple. “ Kings have not always worn a crown, so quite rightly, the King has decided that's the image he wants, and we are very happy to show that image as he chose," Gold told the media, People.com reported. The Royal Mail team will now work with the UK Royal Mint to ensure the stamps match the image which will eventually appear on the British coins. According to People.com, the coins are expected to be unveiled in September.