King Charles & Queen Camilla Reveal New Joint Cypher Featuring Their Initials

Published Jun 20, 2023

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3:04pm

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It's official: King Charles (74) and Queen Camilla (75) are ushering in a new royal era.

The royal couple recently unveiled their joint cypher to reflect the new monarchy, and the emblem's design was revealed on the racecard cover for the opening day of this year's Royal Ascot horse race. The ornate symbol features a representation of the crown and combines two C's—the initials of the king and queen—with the letter "R" for Rex, which is Latin for "king."

On Twitter, the official Ascot account shared the joint cyper and wrote, "We are delighted to unveil the racecard cover for the opening day of Royal Ascot 2023, the first displaying the joint cypher of Their Majesties The King & Queen.

The new emblem bears a resemblance to Queen Camilla's individual cypher (shown below), which includes just her first initial, "C," and the letter "R" for Regina, which is Latin for "queen." Professor Ewan Clayton, a calligrapher on the Faculty and Academic Board of The Royal Drawing School, and Timothy Noad, a heraldic artist and scrivener at The College of Arms designed the regal symbol.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE VIA GETTY IMAGES

Meanwhile, the Sovereign’s monogram (shown below) includes an image of the crown, the initials of his name, Charles, and his title, Rex. The symbol “III” also sits inside the letter "R." According to the royal website, it was created by the palace's heraldry experts, the College of Arms, and it will appear on government buildings, state documents and post boxes.

BUCKINGHAM PALACE VIA GETTY IMAGES

The unveiling of King Charles and Queen Camilla's joint emblem marks the first time in 70 years that the Ascot horseracing event will carry a new cypher. It replaced the late Queen Elizabeth's official royal emblem, which showed the letters “ERII.” (The “R” also stands for “Regina.”)

Before her passing in 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth was quite involved with the Royal Ascot, thanks to her life-long passion for horse racing. This year, the event paid a special tribute to the late queen by renaming a race after her. From now on, the Platinum Jubilee Stakes will be known as the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.

Here's to the new royal era.

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