King Charles III: Royal Mail reveals image of the new definitive stamp

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King Charles III’s portrait will not feature on Australia’s new five-dollar bill. Instead, a new design will honour “the culture and history of the first Australians”. As a result, some commentators have expressed concern for the future of the British monarchy in the leading Commonwealth country.

Zoe Forsey and Russell Myers, hosts of Pod Save The King, discussed the announcement on the latest episode of their podcast.

Mr Myers said: “This is very, very interesting because obviously there is a backdrop of Republican movements across the Commonwealth. Realms such as Jamaica, Antigua [and] Grenada, they’ve all made noise, especially [in the] last couple of years, and in the last few months.

“Antigua was straight out the blocks after the Queen passed away to say, ‘we are going to be making moves to become a republic’, of course following in the footsteps of Barbados, which did become a republic in November 2021. And the conversation is being had in Australia. Certainly, the Prime Minister minister made — for the first time ever — a minister who will be a Junior Minister for the Republic.”

He continued: “And so what does this mean? I think in the Caribbean nations, certainly, there will be definitely countries such as Jamaica and Antigua, who want to do it in the next couple of years. So will it be kind of a domino effect?”

The commentator, who is royal editor at The Daily Mirror, recalled “personal conversations” he had with the King during his 2021 trip to Barbados. Charles visited the Caribbean nation for the Republican handover ceremony and reportedly told Mr Myers: “We’re not here to be rulers. We’re here to be partners.”

Mr Myers continued: “I think that’s a really important point moving forward because the King does not want to stand in any of those countries’ way if they want to choose their own destiny. And that is going to shape, I imagine, a large part of his reign because will it be a domino effect? Once one goes will the others go?

“And it’d be very interesting to see how quickly it happens. If the bigger nations, of course by size, population and our relationship with them, let’s say Australia and Canada do decide to enlarge this issue. I think it will be very, very interesting because it could create this whole legacy element of his reign.”

While the British monarch remains Australia’s head of state, the role is largely symbolic.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s centre-left Labour Party is seeking to make Australia a republic with a citizen of the country as head of state instead of the British King.

Following Labour’s victory in the elections in May last year, the Prime Minister appointed Matt Thistlethwaite as assistant minister for the republic. In June, Mr Thisthlewaite said there would be no change in Queen Elizabeth II’s lifetime.

A 1999 referendum proposed by a Labour government saw Australians vote on whether to maintain the British monarch as Australia’s head of state, but as per the vote, the majority was not ready to remove the Royal Family and become a republic.

When the Queen died in September 2022, the government had already committed to holding a referendum this year to acknowledge the Indigenous people in the constitution. Adding a republic question to that referendum was dismissed as an unwanted distraction from its Indigenous priority.

The bank plans to consult with Indigenous groups in designing the new five-dollar note, a process expected to take several years before the new note goes public.

The face of King Charles is expected to be seen on Australian coins later this year. And the current five-dollar note, which features the portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth, will still be circulating until the new tender is released in due course.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said the change was an opportunity to strike a good balance, telling reporters in Melbourne: “The monarch will still be on the coins, but the five dollar note will say more about our history and our heritage and our country, and I see that as a good thing.”

However, opponents say the move is politically motivated. Opposition leader Peter Dutton, who compared the move to changing the date of the national day, told 2GB Radio: “I know the silent majority don’t agree with a lot of the woke nonsense that goes on but we’ve got to hear more from those people online.”

He went on to claim he believes Prime Minister Albanese was central to the decision, urging him to “own up to it”.

Tweeting out a story about the change, former BBC correspondent and presenter Peter Hunt wrote: “And so it begins. Slowly.”

Australia is still debating whether, and to what extent, it should continue its constitutional ties with Britain.

Cindy McCreery, a historian specialising in the British Royal Family at Sydney University, recently told Express.co.uk that, amid the fallout surrounding Prince Harry’s claims, Australians are turning their backs on the monarchy.

It comes as a new poll suggests that there has been a rise in Republican sentiment since the publication of the Duke of Sussex’s memoir, Spare.

The survey, conducted by Resolve Strategic for the Sydney Morning Herald, asked participants if their responses had been influenced by Harry and his wife Meghan Markle’s recent revelations.

Over one-fifth (21 percent) said the claims had an impact on their view, with 14 percent saying they were now more likely to support a republic. Seven percent said they were less likely to do so.

However, Mr Myers, who commentates for Australian networks, argued: “There is a huge support for the monarchy in Australia…My understanding [is] that the Royal Family is still revered in Australia and New Zealand. There’s definitely a love for the monarchy and a love for that tradition.”

Though, he went on to acknowledge that “we are in a different world now the Queen is no longer with us”.

He continued: “It’s Charles’ reign. Does he represent the same values as the late Queen did for such an incredible legacy that she carved out and left behind? It will be very difficult to have that argument.”

The five-dollar note is the last that still features a portrait of the late Queen. At one time, Her Majesty appeared on at least 33 different currencies, more than any other monarch, an achievement noted by Guinness World Records last year.

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