King Charles' crown appears in change of logo on government's gov.uk website

The old logo under Queen Elizabeth (above) and the new logo under King Charles

King Charles' preferred crown has replaced Queen Elizabeth II's favoured symbol on the government website, marking his role of the head of state.

The logo can be seen on key pages on gov.uk as the site rebrands this month.

King Charles chose the rounded Tudor Crown for his royal cypher when he took the throne in 2022 - and it is being changed in places where his late mother's St Edward's Crown was shown.

These include post boxes, police uniforms and official buildings.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden says the government "takes pride" in the change, and it was funded from the website's usual operating costs.

If you are trying to spot the difference between the two crowns, the King's crown has a rounded dome while Queen Elizabeth II's has arches either side of the central cross.

The King's grandfather, George VI, also used the Tudor Crown for his cypher when he reigned between 1936 and 1952.

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One of the first places the King's crown insignia was seen was on the jacket sleeve of the King's Swan Marker, who monitors the health of the swan population and is an officer of the Royal Household

King Charles did wear the St Edward's Crown for his coronation in May last year, just as his mother did in 1953.

As well as the government website, King Charles' cypher can be found on official documents and some clothing. Beefeaters first donned "C R III" uniforms ahead of the King's coronation last year.

Charles' cypher, portrait or name will eventually find its way into a variety of places:

• Coins Millions of 50p coins with the King's image entered circulation on 8 December last year but if you haven't seen one yet that is because people who get one are likely to hang on to it for novelty value

• Banknotes All currency issued by the Bank of England features the monarch on the front but notes are printed long in advance, so the King Charles design - which was unveiled in December 2022 - is only expected to appear on £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes that will enter circulation in the middle part of this year

• Stamps The Royal Mail moved quite quickly and an image of King Charles - minus his crown - has featured on stamps since 4 April last year

• Passports British passports in the name of His Majesty rather than Her Majesty were issued from July 2023 but, because most people only renew their passports once a decade, it will be a long time before these are in the majority

• Official picture Traditionally, many public buildings in the UK display an official portrait of the monarch and King Charles posed for his approved shot at Windsor Castle last year. Town halls, schools, courts, police stations and fire stations can all now apply for a free copy to display on their premises

• Post boxes In many cases, post boxes are only updated when they fall apart, are damaged or are scheduled for extensive repair - so there are actually some post boxes dotted around the country that still display Queen Victoria's entwined VR letters

The 50p coins follow centuries of tradition with the monarch now facing left - the opposite way to his predecessor, the late Queen