King Charles III Will Replace Queen Elizabeth II On My Money
And I’m not happy about it
On September 9, 2022, Queen Elizabeth died. She was 96 years old.
In Canada, we have the reigning monarch on some of our currency. Queen Elizabeth currently graces the face of our $20 bill. She first appeared on our money in 1935 when she was only 8 years old. I’m not sure why that happened.
Why have a British monarch on our banknotes?
It’s tradition.
In 1908, when the Canadian Mint started production, they included the image of the current monarch on our currency. There is no legislative requirement for them to do so. It’s something they’ve always done and continue to do.
Canada is a constitutional monarchy. An absolute monarchy is one where the monarch has unchecked power. A constitutional monarch, in contrast, is limited by the laws of the constitution. Constitutional monarchs do not directly rule. Instead, they carry out constitutional, ceremonial, and representational duties. Canada’s monarch is the head of state. The prime minister is the head of government.
Because the monarch is Canada’s head of state, and therefore Canada’s king or queen, having them on our currency, along with some of our prime ministers, seems reasonable.
Apart from Queen Elizabeth, three other Canadian Monarchs have had their faces on Canadian money during their lifetime.
For all of them, their effigies appeared on the Canadian coin. These are:
1. Edward VII (1902–1910)
Edward VII was the great-grandfather of the current queen, and his likeness appeared on the currency in 1908.
2. George V (1911–1936)
He was the grandfather of Queen Elizabeth II.
3. George VI (1937–1952)
He was Queen Elizabeth II’s father, and his image appeared on the coins till Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1952.
Why I don’t want King Charles III on my money
Back in May of this year a news release from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau directed the Bank of Canada to replace the likeness of the late Queen Elizabeth II with King Charles III during the next design process. It has also tasked the Royal Canadian Mint with designing coins depicting the new monarch that will go into circulation.
When we will see the new ‘defaced’ currency is unknown at this point. I personally haven’t seen any and that direction was four months ago. They are probably arguing over the final design.
I don’t have anything really against the new king. In fact, I think he’s done a decent job since his inauguration. He hasn’t opined too much and has stuck to appearances and matters of the monarchy.
He has my sympathy when it comes to his son, Prince Harry, and his shenanigans.
The reasons I don’t want him on my money are purely selfish and self-serving.
- Being born in 1966, I’ve only known one English monarch. Prime Ministers, Presidents, and Popes have come and gone. One constant has been Queen Elizabeth II. As her predecessors have faded from our memories, I’m sure she will too. Let’s keep her alive on our money.
- King Charles is 73 years old. At best he’ll reign for 20 years. It costs money to print new banknotes and even more to change images. No doubt an artist will be commissioned to come up with a couple of images and either the populace will be asked to vote on one, or the legislature will decide, or whatever. Either way, it’s more money spent. Let’s keep the status quo and wait for King William.
- Charles is a political progressive. That’s his prerogative. I’m not sure what Queen Elizabeth was and that’s good. She was apolitical in the sense that she stayed out of public political banter and opining. I’m glad to see that King Charles III is doing the same.
- I don’t like his look. I know that’s shallow and irrelevant. But he’s got no charisma. He seems dull. As I said, it’s just my opinion but I’m sticking to it.
Conclusion
We won’t miss anything if we keep the king off our money. Let’s keep Queen Elizabeth II on until Prince William takes the throne. We won’t have long to wait.
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/constitutional-monarchy https://newcanadianlife.com/why-canadian-currency-has-queen-elizabeth/ https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/09/08/king-charles-activist-unpopular-america-00055757
I originally wrote this back on September 12, 2022, a few days after the queen died. This article is an updated version of it.