Information about effigy: King Charles III - First Portrait

Following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II, His Majesty The King acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, signalling the beginning of a new era for the United Kingdom and its coinage, as well as the coinage of all Commonwealth states in which he is also the sovereign.

Marking the historic succession from one monarch to another, the Royal Mint announced on 30 September 2022 that the coins in the memorial coin collection honouring Queen Elizabeth II will be the first to feature King Charles III’s official coinage portrait designed by acclaimed sculptor Martin Jennings; the collection was released on 3 October 2022.

Martin Jennings has been making public sculptures in the UK for many years. His representations of great writers and poets, including John Betjeman at St Pancras Station, Philip Larkin in Hull, Charles Dickens in Portsmouth, and George Orwell outside BBC’s Broadcasting House, are particularly well-known and admired.

The first definitive coinage portrait of King Charles III was personally approved by the monarch. It shows him bare headed (not crowned), facing left; in tiny letters below the neck truncation are the designer's initials MJ.

King Charles III - First Portrait

United Kingdom / Five Pounds 2022 In Memory of Queen Elizabeth II

The first definitive portrait of King Charles III was released on the Memorial Coin Collection issued on 3 October 2022 in memory of the King's mother, Queen Elizabeth II.