King Charles III is 75 today. The King’s Troop, the Royal Horse Artillery, fired a 41-gun salute in London’s Green Park near Buckingham Palace to mark the birthday, just over a year since Charles became king and British head of state after the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.
The birthday honors coincide with news that Charles’ image will appear on Canadian currency for the first time in his reign. However, this will not be the first time that Charles’ effigy will be featured on bills or coins. One of the first depicting the likeness of King Charles III was unveiled by the UK Royal Mint last year.
The Royal Canadian Mint in Winnipeg is set today to showcase its model of the King that will appear on one side of all Canadian coins.
Charles’ effigy is also to be pressed onto a loonie for the first time. The loonie, formally the Canadian one-dollar coin, was introduced in 1987.
The mint said a small amount of 2023-dated coins with the King’s likeness are to circulate in early December. Coin exchanges are set to take place later in the month at the mint’s Ottawa and Winnipeg boutiques.
The image features work by Canadian portrait artist Steven Rosati, who has designed other coins for the mint, including six silver National Hockey League goalie coins and a 100th anniversary commemorative loonie in honor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Earlier this year, the federal government directed the mint and the Bank of Canada to replace the image of the queen with one of the King on its coins and on the $20 bill.
Other Commonwealth countries apart from Canada have also moved to replace images of Queen Elizabeth II.
