NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla is taking place today, May 6.
The reigning monarch and his consort have been known as Their Majesties since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, when Charles officially acceded the throne.
Since then, and following the May 2023 crowning ceremony, you may notice a royal logo featuring the initials ‘CR’ pop up.
Over time, this emblem – known as the Royal Cypher – will start to appear on things like new postboxes, government buildings, state documents, and Royal Family mail.
But what exactly does ‘CR’ stand for?
The meaning is quite simple: ‘CR’ stands for ‘Charles Rex’.
Charles is, of course, The King’s first name and regnal name (sometimes, monarchs choose to reign under an official name, rather than their actual first name).
And Rex is the Latin word for King.
The Royal Cypher also features ‘III’, which are the Roman numerals representing the number three.
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This is because The King is the third King Charles – with Charles I reigning from 1625 to 1649 and Charles II from 1660 to 1685.
There is also a crown featured in the Royal Cypher, for obvious reasons.
Our previous monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, also had a Royal Cypher – containing the letters ‘ER’, as well as the relevant Roman numerals.
‘E’ stood for Elizabeth, while ‘R’ in this case stood for Regina, which is the Latin word for Queen.
Monarchs preceding Her Late Majesty also had their own Royal Cyphers, with the relevant initials, an ‘R’ for Rex or Regina, and in some cases the relevant Roman numerals.
Many also featured the image of a crown.
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