A Centuries-Old Royal Tradition Hasn’t Been Updated Since The Queen's Death

It’s been more than a year since King Charles III began his reign as the British monarch. However, a long-established royal tradition involving his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, remains in place.

Anne, Princess Royal hosted a traditional investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Oct. 3, during which prestigious honors including the Royal Warrant of Appointment were handed out. Royal Warrants date back to the Middle Ages and are granted as a “mark of recognition to people or companies who have regularly supplied goods or services to the Royal Household.”

Eagle-eyed royalists soon noticed that the phrase “By appointment to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II” is still printed on the boxes that hold the Royal Warrant medals, and a royal blogger later clarified why this is the case.

“Companies can continue to use the Royal Warrant from Queen Elizabeth for 2 years following their death,” Gert’s Royals explained on X, formerly known as Twitter. “King Charles has not issued any Royal Warrants yet during his reign, as all old Warrants are under review.”

The medals themselves, however, have been updated to reflect the current head of the British monarchy with the inclusion of King Charles’ effigy.

“Six new medal designs will feature on the 50 different awards which are presented at Investiture ceremonies,” a statement on the official Royal Family X account reads. “The new images will replace previous designs which featured an image of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.”

While hosting a second investiture ceremony on Oct. 4, Prince William was photographed wearing an updated military uniform featuring the royal cyphers of both his father and late grandmother, stylized as “CR” and “ER,” respectively.

The royal updates come after the announcement that a likeness of the reigning monarch would replace that of Queen Elizabeth on coins, bank notes, and stamps in the United Kingdom following her death at the age of 96 in September 2022.