King Charles becomes first monarch to be featured on stamps without crown

King Charles III has become the first monarch in British history to be featured on postal stamps without a crown.

New stamps featuring the sovereign, who is set to be formally crowned on May 6, were announced by Britain’s Royal Mail on Wednesday.

The design features the 74-year-old King’s side profile, created by sculptor Martin Jennings.

“The feedback we got back [from Charles] was that he wanted it to be simple. It’s a very human image, with no embellishment,” said Royal Mail director of external affairs, David Gold.

“What marks this stamp out is that there is no embellishment at all, no crown, just simply the face of the human being, on the plain background, almost saying, ‘This is me and I’m at your service.’ I think in this modern age it is actually rather humbling.”

Previously, monarchs — including his mother, Queen Elizabeth II — sported a diamond diadem created for the Coronation of George IV in 1821.

If monarchs chose to not wear a crown, it would still be pictured alongside them.

Charles is the seventh monarch to feature on the so-called “definitive” stamps, which are the regular, non-commemorative postage stamps.

As the UK makes its final transitions from Queen Elizabeth II to His Majesty, coins and new banknotes featuring the King are also set to go into circulation.

The stamps will go on general sale in the UK on April 4. The British public will have to wait another year to see the King appear on bank notes, until which bank notes featuring the late Queen will remain in circulation.