King Charles presented with new bank notes featuring his portrait
The image of Charles that is printed on the notes was provided by the Palace to the Bank of England, ITV News' Royal Editor Chris Ship reports
King Charles has been presented with new bank notes adorned with his portrait after welcoming Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
The monarch, who is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, received a leather-bound booklet containing the historic legal tender from Mr Bailey and Sarah John, the Bank of England’s Chief Cashier, whose signature appears on the currency.
He inspected the four £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes - the first low-numbered note of each denomination with 01 000001 serial numbers.
The image of Charles that is printed on the notes was provided by the Palace to the Bank of England.
Designers then worked it into an engraving that was then turned into an image on the notes.
The Bank of England has produced £5, £10, 20 and £50 notes that will start being rolled out June 5.
The reverse side characters remain unchanged from previous editions – with Sir Winston Churchill on the £5, Jane Austen on the £10, JMW Turner on the £20 and Alan Turing on the £50.
New notes will only replace worn or damaged Queen Elizabeth II notes to minimise the financial and environmental impact of the switch.
It also marks the first time that a sovereign has been changed on bank notes, while coins have changed over the years, bank notes have only ever had the face of Queen Elizabeth II on them.
After being presented with the new notes, King Charles noted their "elegance" before posing for a number of photos with the bank notes.
Sarah John, Chief Cashier at the Bank of England said: "It is such an honour to be here today and have this opportunity to present the King with the lowest numbered bank notes of the new King Charles range.
"This is the first time that we have had four new bank notes coming out at once, so it is a great pleasure to have been able to show the King what he is going to look like on the notes of the future."
Coins bearing King Charles' face also entered circulation in August last year, with almost five million 50p coins marking the monarch's coronation.
It comes after the King has been advised by doctors not to carry out public-facing engagements off the back of his cancer diagnosis.
This is the Royal Rota - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson