Royal news – live: King Charles’s touching reaction after he sees banknotes featuring his image

King Charles inspected the four £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes – the first low-numbered note of each denomination with 01 000001 serial numbers – and pointed and smiled at the details as Mr Bailey turned the pages, showing the front and back.

They were joined by Sarah John, the Bank of England’s Chief Cashier, whose signature appears on the currency, and the King gave a broad grin as he greeted his guests in the 1844 Room.

He is only the second British monarch to grace the Bank of England’s notes – and it is the first time one sovereign’s image has been replaced with another.

Mr Bailey said as he prepared to hand over the book: “We have come to present you with your bank notes.”

It prompted Charles, who was stood with his hands behind his back, to chuckle and remark: “Oh right.”

Mr Bailey told him: “This is quite a big moment because we’ve never changed the sovereign on the bank notes because the Queen was the first sovereign to be on the bank notes.”

Charles replied: “This is what is so surprising. You would think that it goes back.”

The King inspected the notes and praised the intricate features incorporated to prevent counterfeits, saying: “A lot trouble taken in on the security side.”

“They’re very well designed I must say,” he added.

The King’s plan to build an “ideal town” in Kent has sparked outrage amid accusations of “swallowing up historic villages into one urban mass”.

The Duchy of Cornwall has proposed to build 2,500 homes on 320 acres of agricultural land in the medieval market town of Faversham, Kent.

The plan was announced when Charles, then the Prince of Wales, managed the estate in 2018, with the aims of delivering the “most sustainable” homes possible, while simultaneously combatting a housing crisis in the area.

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King 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.

Former butler Grant Harrold told The Express: “I’m sure this year will be a bit more poignant and probably a bit emotional with everything going on.

“I have no doubt they’ll be together for the occasion, and I’m sure behind closed doors, they’ll probably have a romantic dinner with just the two of them.”

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Among the incorrect allegations being made by pro-Kremlin campaigners is the suggestion circulating on fake news sites that King Charles has sold his royal residence Highgrove House to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky for £20m.

The bizarre report was initially made in a YouTube video that featured someone who claimed to be the estate agent behind the made-up sale. However, security experts told The Times the character, named Sam Murphy, appeared to be AI-generated.

Celia Imrie has said actors must want to “do their profession or die” to be a success, after receiving a royal honour at Windsor Castle.

The actress also said she wanted to “keep people guessing” about her roles as she was made a CBE by the Princess Royal for services to drama.

Imrie, 71, is best known for her role as Una Alconbury in the Bridget Jones movies, and numerous TV appearances alongside comedian Victoria Wood.

Speaking about receiving the honour, she added: “[It was] completely overwhelming, and I found myself bursting into tears at the end of it, which is too silly, but I sort of wish my mother and father were here

The Princess Royal handed out new honours today at Windsor Castle.

Among the recipients was former Rangers manager and Scotland player Alex McLeish, actress Celia Imrie and author and tampon tax campaigner Laura Coryton.