UK: The changes after the Queen's death that tourists will encounter

10-09-22

When George VI died in his sleep at Sandringham in the early hours of 6 February 1952, his eldest daughter, Princess Elizabeth, then visiting Kenya with her husband, immediately became Queen Elizabeth II.

After 70 years of reign and undisputed worldwide popularity, London is worried about one thing: it is not surprising that thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people will want to travel to the British capital to attend her funeral activities, which are due to last for several days until the coronation of the new king, Charles III. 

It is quite possible that visitors will overwhelm transport systems, overcrowd hotels, strain basic services and even cause headaches for policing. 

Then there is the issue of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has not yet ceased. After Prince Philip's death in 2021, Buckingham Palace asked the public not to gather outside royal residences to leave offerings, but some did so anyway. Besides, it is hard to imagine people not gathering after the Queen's death. 

But after this period of mourning and mourning, there will be necessary changes that tourists arriving in the UK will see with their own eyes. Some of them are quite unexpected, but tradition dictates that they will be necessary, even if some of them will take years to be fully implemented.

After the record reign of Queen Elizabeth II, it will take much longer to remove her name, image and iconography from the fabric of the national life of the country and the 54 nations that make up the Commonwealth. 

For now, Caribbean News Digital presents some of the changes that will take place between now and some time from now.

Flags and banners

From the flags that fly outside police stations across the UK to the banner used on a navy ship when a general is on board, thousands of flags emblazoned with the initials ISIS will have to be replaced. 

Military regiments fly the "Queen's colours", many of which are studded with a gold-embroidered EIIR emblem; the ensign of the fire service includes her initials; and countries where the Queen remains head of state, such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, have what experts call "E Flags" - personal flags for the Queen that were used when she was visiting those nations.

The royal standard, the quartered flag flown at the Queen's former residence, is also likely to change. The version used by the Queen includes one quarter representing Scotland (a lion rampant), one for Ireland (a harp) and two representing England (three lions passant), but none for Wales. It has been in use long before Wales had its own national flag, recognised in 1959. The next monarch could incorporate a Welsh element.

The currency

There are 4.5 billion sterling bank notes in circulation with the Queen's face on them, worth a total of £80 billion. Replacing them with alternatives bearing the image of the new monarch is likely to take at least two years. 

When the last synthetic £50 notes were issued, the process of withdrawal and replacement took the Bank of England about 16 months. When the Queen acceded to the throne in 1953, the monarch did not appear on the banknotes. That changed in 1960, when Elizabeth II's face began to appear on the £1 note, in an image created by the banknote designer Robert Austin, which some criticised as too severe. 

The image of King Charles III was to be agreed with Buckingham Palace. The Queen's head also appears on some $20 banknotes in Canada, on New Zealand coins and on all coins and banknotes issued by the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank, as well as elsewhere in the Commonwealth.

Coin designs may change more slowly if historical precedent is followed: it was common to have different monarchs in the wallet, as change in coins occurred organically rather than by withdrawal. So banknotes and coins with the Queen's image on them will slowly disappear.

The national anthem

One of the simplest changes, in theory, will be to change the lyrics of the national anthem from "God Rest Our Queen" to "God Rest Our King", although it may be some time before large crowds sing the new version with confidence. The hymn has been in use since 1745, when an early version read: "God Save Great George, Our King, Long Live Our Noble King, God Save the King".

Postage stamps

The UK's Royal Mail is the largest postal service in the country and carries an image of the Queen. New stamps with the King's face will also have to be created for this. The Queen's initials, EIIR (Elizabeth II Regina) are written in Latin, where the word "regina" means "queen". Rex is the Latin equivalent of King. So the code on all letterboxes will be replaced at some point and the new ones will probably carry the code chosen by the new king.

Passports

All UK passports say: "Her Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires, in the name of Her Majesty the Queen, all those concerned to permit the bearer to pass freely, without hindrance, and to afford him such assistance and protection as may be necessary".

The new passports issued will therefore be adjusted to reflect the male pronouns of the new King. However, it is likely that passports will only need to be updated once they have expired.