A man said he has been left 'really upset' after renewing his passport to find that his new travel document still mentions the late Queen. Ian Thompsett described the situation as a "disgusting total insult to her memory" and said British passports should "respect Charles as the King".
The 45-year-old received a brand new passport in the post two weeks after applying for a renewal, costing him £88. But on getting hold of the new one, he opened the first page to see it refer to “Her Britannic Majesty” and “Her Majesty” instead of “His Majesty” - language that he believes “disrespects” Charles’ ascension to the throne.
The father-of-three – who says he is not an ardent royalist – was so shocked by the “lax” outdated language he thought he might have been tricked into buying a fake. He has now called on the government to update all passports to ensure “the King’s reign is respected”.
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Ian, a DJ from Rugby, Warwickshire, explained: “It was my intention to go to Amsterdam in the Netherlands in July to see Coldplay. I looked at my passport and it had run out so I did a renewal application online a fortnight ago. I was told it could be 10 weeks but they did it in two so the service was great."
He continued: “I opened it up yesterday and on the very first page it gives the declaration and I read it and just couldn’t believe a brand-new £88 renewal passport still states it is Her Majesty’s passport even after all this time. The King was crowned in May but the very first page refers to the Queen. There is nothing about the King at all and it really upset me."
Ian said he first wondered whether he had "been diddled" and received a fraudulent passport. “You just don’t expect that the government would be so lax that something with the Crown’s stamp would be out of date," he said. "The King’s coronation should be reflected. It is disgusting and a total insult to her memory and to our King's position as head of state."
The DJ said he believes the government has had plenty of time to change the statement since the Queen passed away in September last year, adding: "More importantly it's a British document that quite clearly isn't correct."
“I understand that stamps and currency in circulation take time to change but the passport should have been updated from the day of Charles’ coronation," he said. "Every passport should show him respect as the King."
Ian said he "vividly" remembers meeting the late Queen as an army cadet back in 1993 when he was a standard bearer for a visit she made to a memorial in Crook, Derbyshire. Recalling the moment, he said: “She was very, very nice and I was very, very proud to have met her. She was a huge part of our lives and deserves to be remembered and celebrated."
He added: “It is equally important for Charles as the King to be respected in the same way. He is now our King whether people agree with his past or not. We should respect that and the Passport Office should follow suit.”
The Home Office, which oversees the Passport Office, declined to comment.
