The news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death in 2022 brought with it a deep sense of sadness in the UK. But following the news of her demise, a few other noteworthy changes were also seen. His Majesty, King Charles, was coronated as the new King Of England. And in accordance with this new reign, the British passports are also set to witness a significant change from 70 years after they were first made.
British Passport To Quote “His Majesty” After 70 Years
The wording on British passports is about to change for the first time in more than 70 years.
After 70 years, they will now have the title of ‘His Majesty’ for the first time. This week onwards, new passports will start to be issued in the name of ‘His Majesty King Charles III’.
The process will happen in phases till all remaining backlog of passports issued in the name of ‘Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’ is exhausted. As per The Independent’s reports, Home Secretary Suella Braverman highlighted that for 70 years, British passports have featured the title “Her Majesty.”
And also how many people can’t recall a time without it. She emphasized that today is a momentous occasion in UK history, as the new British passports now bear the title “His Majesty, the King.”
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The Home Office said that they processed over five million passports in the first half of 2023. More than 99% of these passports were dispatched within the standard UK service time of 10 weeks. The majority of them being sent out well within this timeframe, reported Mirror.
United Kingdom To Witness A New Change After 7 Decades
After Her Majesty’s death in September 2022, Her Majesty’s Passport Office has been renamed as His Majesty’s Passport Office. However, it should be noted that His Majesty, The King, does not own or need a passport. This is because the British passports are issued in the Monarch’s name.
This is a change not seen since 1952, according to The Independent’s report. This will noticeably be the most significant British passport change since 2020. The year 2020 saw the reintroduction of the distinctive navy blue passports first issued in 1921, during Brexit.
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The new British passports will now be issued in the name of ‘His Majesty the King,’ marking a historic shift from ‘Her Majesty the Queen.’ Current British passports will remain valid travel documents until their expiry dates for British travellers.
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