The first postbox to bear the cypher of the King has been installed in Northern Ireland.
The postbox at 25 York Street, outside the Ulster University campus in the capital, is also the first of 600 new solar-powered parcel postboxes being introduced across the UK by Royal Mail.
The cypher consists of the initials of the King, Charles III, and title, Rex – Latin for King, alongside a representation of the Tudor Crown.
It was unveiled on Wednesday morning by children from Belfast Royal Academy, Lord Lieutenant of Belfast Dame Fionnuala Jay-O’Boyle, and High Sheriff of Belfast Frank McCoubrey.
The children then posted the first parcel in the box, using special stamps that celebrated the King’s coronation in 2023.
The parcel contained letters which the children wrote to the King as part of a class project about what they do to protect the environment in school and at home, why their local environment is important, and what they would like to see happen in the future.
Michael Clarke, regional operations director for Royal Mail, said more than 115,000 postboxes throughout the UK have borne the symbols of successive monarchs since the first box displayed Queen Victoria’s cypher.
“We are grateful to His Majesty for allowing us to use his personal cypher as we embark on the next chapter of the iconic Great British postbox story in Northern Ireland,” he said.
“The new style parcel postboxes reflect how customer needs have evolved, but they remain a vital part of local communities.”
While a number of new or replacement postboxes have been installed since Charles ascended the throne, they were from existing stocks carrying the cypher of the late Queen.
The new postboxes can also accept medium-sized parcels and request proof of posting through the Royal Mail app.
