What The Royal Family's Signatures Look Like And Why It's Almost Impossible To Get An Autograph

Posted by Erma Hippe on Wednesday, June 5, 2024

Of all the royals alive today, King Charles III's signature has had the most iterations. That's solely because he's gone through the most titles. Charles has been known as Prince Charles of Edinburgh, The Duke of Cornwall, The Prince of Wales, and now, of course, The King of the United Kingdom. As we learned with Prince William, those title changes come with a signature change, too. While Prince William became William P, King Charles became Charles R. The "R" stands for "Rex," which means "king" in Latin. Since King Charles can't get any higher on the totem pole than he is now, he'll have this title until death, meaning it's his final signature change. 

The king's title change didn't only bring about a change in his signature, though. He also gained a new cipher. Per the royal website: "The cypher is the Sovereign's monogram, consisting of the initials of the monarch's name, Charles, and title, Rex — Latin for King, alongside a representation of the Crown." Ciphers are used for various official business duties, including mail and government documents. Queen Elizabeth II had her own royal cipher, which included the initials for her name and Latin title, Regina, and a crown above the letters, looking quite similar to the one King Charles chose. 

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