The Royal Mint unveils the first coins carrying King Charles III's effigy and a special tribute to the Queen

King Charles’ coin effigy has been revealed by the Royal Mint, with the 50p set for circulation before the New Year. 

• The Royal Mint has unveiled the new designs for a commemorative £5 coin and a new 50p coin bearing King Charles III's portrait.
• The new coins, while debuting King Charles III effigy also carry special nods to the late monarch Queen Elizabeth II, including a commemoration of her coronation.
• This royal news comes after The Queen’s death certificate confirms Queen Elizabeth II's cause of death.

The official coin effigy of King Charles III has been released by the Royal Mint, with a new 50p coin to begin circulation before the end of the year - though the King Charles bank notes won't be released until mid-2024.

King Charles’ portrait will be appearing on one side of a £5 and 50p coin and will feature in a memorial collection to honour the life of Her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II who died on 8th September 2022. 

Both coins carry a tribute to the Queen, with the 50p coin, which is set to roll into circulation in the coming months, carrying a special nod to the Queen's coronation. 

The portrait of Charles, designed by Martin Jennings was unveiled by the Royal Mint and shared on Instagram, with a statement which reads: “We are proud to unveil the first official coin portrait of King Charles III which has been designed by Martin Jennings FRSS and personally approved by His Majesty.

And more recently, King Charles' Coronation logo has a heartbreaking nod to the Queen and Prince Philip.

“The first coins to feature the effigy are part of a memorial collection for Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II which will be released on 3 October. We're also delighted to announce that the 50p will be entering circulation in the coming months.”

Surrounding Charles' portrait on the new 50 p is also a Latin inscription that reads,‘• CHARLES III • D • G • REX • F • D’ which translates to: “King Charles III, by the Grace of God, Defender of the Faith.”

Featured on the other side of the coin is a design by sculptor John Bergdahl which is a nod to the Queen’s coronation. It sees the Royal Arm represented in four shields and separated by a rose, leek, thistle and shamrock - the emblems of the United Kingdom.

The commemorative £5 also bares two portraits of Queen Elizabeth, with ‘Elizabeth Regina 1926-2022’ framing them.

Members of the public can expect to start finding the 50p amongst their change before the end of the year.

It comes as a new £50 note is launched and prompting people to ask which notes are going out of circulation in the coming months.

However, King Charles won't be featured on Australia's new five dollar bank notes.