No one wants to think about it, but it's a sad fact: At some point in the near future, the seemingly immortal [1] Queen Elizabeth II will die [2], leaving behind a remarkable and unmatched legacy of her time on the British throne. While there are plenty of traditions that will continue [3], mostly unchanged, after her son Prince Charles takes the throne, there are several things that will never be the same, from royal titles to everyday objects. The Queen has reigned for so long [4], it feels like everything royal bends around her: the centre of the royal universe. But, her loyal subjects are already braced for the inevitable changes. Read on for eight of the most noticeable shifts that will take place after the throne turns over to Charles [5].
God Save the King, and Other Things Getting Gender-Swapped
This one's the obvious one. When the Queen dies, Charles will become king, which means that all the formalities for a queen will have their language shifted to acknowledge a male king instead. Some of this is simple pronoun shifts: "His Majesty" instead of "Her Majesty," and so on.
One notable shift will be in the national anthem. It's been "God Save the Queen" since 1952, when Queen Elizabeth II took the throne after the death of her father, King George VI. Once Charles is on the throne, the lyrics will return to the "God Save the King" format.
Titles For the Monarch's Spouse
Charles will be the second monarch in a row who will have a tricky time figuring out what the official title of his consort should be. Queen Elizabeth's husband went through a weird in-between period early in her reign where he was a "His Royal Highness" but not a "Prince," and since 1957 he has been Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, but doesn't hold the formal title of Prince Consort that was created by Queen Victoria for her husband Prince Albert. It's been complicated [6].
When Charles ascends the throne, he's going to have a bit of a conundrum on his hands, too. Technically speaking, the wife of a king is always the queen consort. However, because Charles and Camilla have a complicated history in the public eye, no one is actually sure what she'll be called officially. The title "Princess Consort" is the mostly likely title [7]. But just as Camilla is, technically, the Princess of Wales now (even though she never uses the title), she will, technically, be the queen when Charles is king.
Prince William Moves Up
With the ascension of his father to the throne, Prince William will go from being simply the Duke of Cambridge and an heir to the throne to being Prince of Wales (and Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay) and the heir apparent to the throne. However, it's not quite an automatic thing.
Technically speaking, the heir to the throne must be assigned those titles. Prince Charles, for instance, has been his mother's heir since birth and has been first in line for the throne since 1952, but the Queen did not formally grant him the title Prince of Wales for several years. This was, reportedly, because Charles was still a child and she wanted to ensure he understood his duties before investing him with the title; since William is a long-serving adult working royal, that wouldn't be an issue when it comes to his turn.
You Can Finally Call Catherine a Princess
Technically speaking, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, already has a princess title: she "shares" her husband's title and could, correctly, be called Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge [8]. But that's a form that's rarely used, and it's not a title that combines her own name with a princess title.
That will change once Charles is king and William is Prince of Wales. At that point, Catherine will be styled as Catherine, Princess of Wales. Calling her "Princess Catherine," however, would still be incorrect: the style "Princess" first name is reserved only for the daughters of monarchs or princes, like Princesses Anne, Eugenie, Beatrice, and Charlotte. However, the media and the public often referred to Diana as "Princess Diana" and we can probably expect the same for Catherine.
A Title Shift For Prince Edward
One of the more interesting things that's expected to happen after the queen's death is the status of her younger son, Prince Edward. Unlike most royal sons, Edward did not receive a ducal title upon marriage, instead becoming the Earl of Wessex. Reportedly, that's because he's expected to become the Duke of Edinburgh once his father, Prince Philip, has died.
It's a bit complicated, though. Prince Philip's titles pass to his eldest son — Charles, who can't be Duke of Edinburgh and king, so the title will "revert to the Crown." So Charles will then have to "remake" the title to pass it to Edward, who will then become a duke and his wife, Sophie, a duchess. Still with us?
The Commonwealth May Change
Because the Commonwealth is a loose affiliation of nations, Charles will not inherit the title "Head of the Commonwealth" automatically; the member nations will have to approve him and recommit to being in the Commonwealth. Steps have already been put in place to ensure this, and Charles was anointed the next leader of the Commonwealth in April 2018 [9].
Cypher on Post Boxes Will Change
Our famous red postboxes? Those will change after the Queen's death, too. Currently, they all have an engraved cypher "E II R," which stands for Elizabeth II Regina ("queen" in Latin). When Charles becomes king, those will remain as they are, but any new postboxes installed will carry a cypher representing Charles's chosen regnal name [10] and number.
Banknotes and Coins Will Get a Makeover
One of the major changes that ordinary people will notice will be how money is printed. Traditionally, the reigning monarch appears on British banknotes and coins; the same portraits of Queen Elizabeth II have been on the money for decades. Once Charles is the king, it will be his portrait that will be on all new money printed after his accession. The same goes for postage stamps, which also bear the Queen's likeness.