Canada presented a new 20-dollar banknote featuring the portrait of Charles III

Canada has unveiled a new 20-dollar banknote featuring the portrait of Charles III

The Bank of Canada has presented a new 20-dollar banknote featuring the image of King Charles III.

The new banknote has a vertical design and is predominantly green. The front features a portrait of Charles III, while the back depicts the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France.

This is the first banknote in Canada to feature the portrait of Charles III. It also marks the first time in over 70 years that a portrait of a new monarch has appeared on the country's currency.

Surrounding the King's portrait are flowers and leaves representing his environmental advocacy. The banknote also features floral symbols representing Canada's 13 provinces and territories.

The new banknote is made of polymer. It also incorporates security technologies never before used on Canadian currency. In particular, a purple security strip contains elements that appear to spin and change shape when the banknote is tilted.

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem said the security features on the new banknote would make it difficult to counterfeit.

Although Canada is a fully independent and sovereign nation, it has retained a constitutional monarchy and is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The British monarch is also recognized by the constitution as Canada's head of state.

Queen Elizabeth II was first depicted on the Canadian 20-dollar banknote in 1935, when she was still an eight-year-old princess. Starting in 1937, the portrait of King George VI appeared on several of the country's banknotes. Since 1954, the portrait of Elizabeth II has been primarily used on Canadian banknotes.

The new 20-dollar banknote will be gradually introduced into circulation starting in late February 2027.