The King has been presented with the first banknotes bearing his portrait by the Governor of the Bank of England.
He expressed his surprise in a touching moment at being only the second monarch to feature - after his late mother Queen Elizabeth II - and praised the notes as “very well designed”.
Charles received a leather-bound booklet containing the historic legal tender from Andrew Bailey at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
It was a milestone moment for the monarch, who is undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer, to see his image on the new polymer notes, just over a year and a half since the start of his reign.
Charles and Queen Camilla are marking their “emotional” 19th wedding anniversary today amid a turbulent time in their personal lives.
The monarchs married on April 9 2005, 35 years after first meeting in 1970.
This year, the pair are likely to be celebrating the milestone “behind closed doors” as Charles continues to undergo cancer treatment.
The celebrations come as the Princess of Wales, who has also been diagnosed with cancer, sent a touching response to a get well soon letter.
