The first British passports in the name of King Charles III have been issued, the government has announced.
The last time a king’s name appeared on passports was in 1952 as the reign of King George VI ended.
A slow process to change, in 2023, the government noted that five million passports have already been issued in the name of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The UK government decided, as with the case of stamps and money, to use up existing supplies before issuing any new items in the name of King Charles III.
New passports will now say: “His Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of His Majesty…”
Home Secretary Suella Braverman shared the news, saying: “For 70 years, Her Majesty has appeared on British passports and many of us will not remember a time when she did not feature. Today marks a significant moment in UK history.”
Any existing passports issued in the name of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will continue to be valid until their expiration, the government further shared.
Canada unveiled its own new passport design in May, the first in the Commonwealth to mention King Charles III: his name is mentioned on the second page of Canadian passports.
Queen Elizabeth’s Crown features on the design for the next five years because the King’s Crown was unveiled too late for Canadian passports.
In April 2023, the King approved the Canadian passport design on the advice of his Prime Minister.
Other Commonwealth realms where the King is head of state are expected to update their passports as existing stocks run out. Australia is still issuing passports in the name of the late Queen; in May, the New Zealand government announced that they plan to roll out passports in the King’s name soon.
King Charles III is the only person in the United Kingdom who does not require a passport.
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