Ottawa — Countries around the world whose currencies honor the late Queen Elizabeth II now have a new monarch and must decide whether King Charles III. will have a place on their coins and banknotes.

Since the Queen’s death in September, Canada has not said whether it intends to include the King’s effigy on its coins and banknotes, but other members of the Commonwealth have made their decision.

Unsurprisingly, Britain was the first country to present new banknotes featuring King Charles, unveiling the designs in December. The Bank of England has announced that the new banknotes will come into circulation in the middle of next year.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand also said it was preparing to replace the image used on the coins with one approved by the new king, but the transition would take several years.

Australia, for its part, decided to send King Charles III. not to place it on his new five dollar bill. The central bank announced in February that the country had opted for an indigenous design instead, but the king is expected to appear on Australian coins, which currently bear the image of Queen Elizabeth.

The decision to paint the portrait of King Charles III. showing on banknotes and coins is largely symbolic, but may reflect a country’s relationship with the monarchy and the level of public support for the institution.

“Different countries will approach this differently, depending on the level of allegiance to the monarchy and the strength of the republican movement in each country,” said Jonathan Malloy, professor of political science at Carleton University in Ottawa.

In the Caribbean, many countries have had debates about what role the monarchy should play. Barbados, for example, renounced the British monarch as head of state in 2021.

Other Caribbean countries that are still part of the Commonwealth have made little comment on whether King Charles would be featured on their banknotes and coins. However, the Antigua Observer reported earlier this year that Eastern Caribbean Central Bank Governor Timothy NJ Antoine said there might be “no desire” to do so.

In Canada, the federal government has not announced whether it intends to promote the image of the new monarch on Canadian currency. The Ministry of Finance has so far been content with the statement that “further details will follow”.

Treasury Secretary Chrystia Freeland’s office did not respond to related questions in time for this post.

Jonathan Malloy isn’t surprised; He sees a partisan split over the role of the monarchy in Canada, particularly between liberals, who have no clear position, and conservatives, who have traditionally been closer to the royal family.

“I don’t think Prime Minister Trudeau wants to abolish the monarchy, but he doesn’t want to draw attention to it either, according to Professor Malloy, while the Conservatives, I’m sure, want King Charles III to get the money.”

The Royal Canadian Mint and Bank of Canada await the federal government’s decision on the future of coins and notes.

“As always, under the Bank of Canada Act, the Treasury Secretary is responsible for approving the form and material of each new bill, including the portrait motif,” Bank of Canada spokeswoman Amélie Ferron-Craig said in an E- Mail. “Therefore, it would be up to the government to announce whether the King’s portrait will appear on a banknote.”

According to the Royal Canadian Mint, Canada has included an effigy of the reigning monarch on its coins since production began in 1908.