The new banknotes feature King Charles without a crown on his head, which means he is not a king and there is no monarch.
It’s true that King Charles is not wearing a crown, but this is in line with tradition for male monarchs. It does not mean he isn’t the King.
Posts circulating on social media show a picture of the new £5 note featuring an image of King Charles III, and claims that because he is not wearing a crown, it means he is not a king, and there is no monarch.
Similar claims have been shared across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, where it has had more than 36,000 views.
It’s true that King Charles III is not wearing a crown on the new banknotes, but this doesn’t mean he isn’t the King; it’s simply a matter of tradition.
The same thing happened with the new coins featuring the King, which came into circulation in 2022. Rebecca Morgan, director of collector services at the Royal Mint, explained at the time: “It's quite common for male monarchs not to wear a crown on their coinage. It happened to his father and grandfather when they were on coinage.”
Although not the monarch, King Charles’s father, Prince Philip, was not wearing a crown in The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Original 1921 Coinage Collection produced by the Royal Mint, for example. Prince Philip was married to Queen Elizabeth II, but traditionally male consorts (the title for the wife or husband of a monarch) are not crowned during the coronation ceremony, so it is less surprising he did not wear a crown on coinage. However King Charles’ grandfather, George VI, was King, but also did not wear a crown on coinage.
The late Queen Elizabeth II was the first monarch to have her portrait on English banknotes, so King Charles III coming to the throne was the first time the Bank of England had to change the monarch on the banknotes.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because it is common for male monarchs not to wear a crown on their coinage. King Charles is the first male monarch to be on banknotes.
Full Fact fights for good, reliable information in the media, online, and in politics.
Bad information ruins lives. It promotes hate, damages people’s health, and hurts democracy. You deserve better.