But when Australians start seeing the nation’s new $1 coin in the run-up to Christmas,they will notice the effigy of Charles has more than a passing resemblance to a much younger man.
The skin is almost perfect,especially across the cheeks,around the eyes and along the forehead. The nose is a little smaller. The chin not so weak. There is,admittedly,a little droop along the royal jowl. The hair,maybe not luxurious but definitely a mane you’d find on a middle-aged man.
And,despite the attacks from thousands of cartoonists and satirists over the decades,the royal ears that will adorn all our coins are reduced from reality.
When it comes to coins,Buckingham Palace has reached back to the time of Julius Caesar,who imprinted his effigy on Roman coins as a form of propaganda.
This will be long-lived marketing and worldwide. The effigy is for the use of all Commonwealth countries that still mint coins with the monarch’s image.
The head of the Royal Australian Mint,Leigh Gordon,noted that the coins were expected to circulate for at least 30 years. In other words,the more youthful Charles will be in our pockets,hidden behind lounge chairs or sucked up by vacuum cleaners when the monarch reaches at least his 103rd birthday.
It’s in stark contrast to the first effigy of Charles’ mother that appeared on Australia’s pre-decimal currency in the mid-1950s. Elizabeth looked the young monarch that she actually was. Her son’s effigy could pass as that of a fifty-something bank manager.