People are wondering whether their passports are valid now The Queen has died
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Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, UK passports are just some of the things that will need to change.
Buckingham Palace announced the passing of Her Majesty in a statement released this evening (8 September), confirming that she had passed away 'peacefully' at the age of 96 at her estate in Balmoral, Scotland.
The Queen was the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, which she marked earlier this year having spent 70 years on the throne following her ascension in 1952.
Have you read the first page of your passport? As a former refugee, I do, I never take for granted my good fortune at being welcomed to make it my home. Her Majesty the Queen symbolised freedom and safety to me as a little girl. I never forgot it. pic.twitter.com/jbtYnlZpbZ
— Shaparak Khorsandi 🌻💙💛 (@ShappiKhorsandi) September 8, 2022
The longevity of her reign means many people will not know a Britain without the Queen as the monarch, or without her name or face included on money, passports and stamps.
With her eldest son, Charles, having now gained the title of King Charles III, many of these items will now need to be updated, leaving many to question the validity of their passports.
Inside UK passports, a statement currently reads: "Her Britannic Majesty's Secretary of State requests and requires in the name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary.”
After news of the Queen's death was announced, one person on Twitter questioned: "With the death of the Queen, are passports still valid or will they have to get changed?"
With the death of the Queen, are passports still valid or will they have to get changed?
— A Happy Speedbird Fan (@SpeedbirdFan) September 8, 2022
Another Twitter user wrote: "We will also need to change all the passports, which provide right of passage in the name of Her Majesty The Queen."
Although passports, stamps, money and other items bearing the Queen's name or face will undergo changes in the future to recognise King Charles III, it's likely people holding passports containing reference to Her Majesty will only need to update them once they have expired.
The Queen, who travelled more widely than any other monarch during her reign, did not need a passport to move from country to country.
As the British passport is issued in the name of Her Majesty, she did not need one herself.
As similar changes get underway, new notes and coins bearing the face of King Charles III will also be produced and distributed in Britain, with old money gradually being phased out.
The money bearing the Queen's face will likely remain legal tender for some time following her passing, but eventually a date will be set to mark the end of their usage.
