The first coins bearing the official effigy of King Charles III will appear in circulation in post offices around the UK from Thursday. The King's portrait will first appear on a 50p, with the reverse, or ‘tails’ side of the coin, commemorating the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II.
A commemorative version of the coin was released in October, generating record visitors to the Royal Mint's website in the 24 hours following its launch. A total of 4.9 million 50p coins will enter circulation across 9,452 Post Office branches throughout December.
They will be distributed as change when customers make purchases with some 9.6 million 50p coins will eventually enter circulation, in line with demand. The coins' appearance coincides with the release of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's controversial Netflix docuseries, with the Royal family braced for Harry and Meghan's latest revelations.
