����ý

The image of King Charles III that will appear on new stamps has been revealed.

The new stamp has been personally approved by the King, and unlike the stamps featuring his mum, Queen Elizabeth II, there's no crown.

"The feedback we got back was that he wanted it to be simple," said David Gold from the Royal Mail.

Even without the crown, the new stamps have been designed to look similar to the ones featuring the image of the Queen.

The stamps with the Queen's profile - which usually means the side-view of a person - were first designed in 1967.

"It was 70 years that we had the same monarch and since 1967 we've had pretty much the same stamps," said Mr Gold.

Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, at the age of 96. After 70 years on the throne, she was the longest reigning monarch in Britain's history.

Until stocks run out, stamps featuring the Queen will be used at the same time as the new stamps featuring the King.

Charles III becomes the seventh monarch to appear on stamps - Queen Victoria was the first, in 1840.

The picture of Queen Victoria on stamps was an image from a sketch drawn when she was 15 years old, and that image continued to be used until her death at the age of 81.

Similarly a portrait of the Queen from when she was in her 40s has been used on stamps from 1967 until present day.

The design for Charles III is based on a sculpture made for new coins featuring the King's face. The same image has been adapted for the stamps, with millions now being printed.

Britain's postage stamps are unique compared to elsewhere in the world as they don't include the name of the country on them. The new stamps have nothing except the King's head, the price and also an attached barcode.

The image of King Charles III will appear on new stamps from 4 April.