A PNC for a holiday

A change in holiday

In 2023, Australia Post released a medallion PNC to commemorate the King’s Birthday. This was a momentous occasion as it was the first time in 72 years that the holiday was for a King’s birthday, rather than a Queen. As someone from the Commonwealth, my head of state has been a Queen my whole life, so I am still getting used to the idea of having a King. Indeed the renaming of a public holiday is one of those things I didn’t immediately think of when Queen Elizabeth II passed away. Although, probably the thing which surprised me most was that I am used to very senior lawyers being “QC” or “Queen’s Counsel“. Such lawyers are now “King’s Counsel (KC)” (This happened automatically, I looked it up).

Obverse

The PNC is done in a blue and gold theme. There are stamps showing the young prince and King in the present. The cancellation mark reads “First day of issue, 1 November 2023, Charlestown NSW 2290. This was a limited release with 2,023 issued, mine is number 0447.

The reverse continues the design on the flap of the envelope with the rest being cream. The text on the reverse reads:

“Born Charles Philip Arthur George in 1948, King Charles III celebrates his 75th birthday on 14 November 2023. The longest serving heir apparent, he acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. On 6 May 2023, his coronation took place at Westminster Abbey, in a ceremony shaped by tradition.”

Stamps & Cancellation

(Still from the text on the back of the PNC): “The black-and-white stamp shows a young Prince Charles on his arrival in Sydney in 1966, before joining fellow students at Geelong Grammar’s Timbertop campus, which he attended for two terms. A striking 2018 portrait by New York-based fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski is reproduced in the colour stamp, showing the heir apparent seated at his desk in the Garden Room at Clarendon House.”

Stamp and cover design: Jo Muré, Australia Post Design Studio Stamp, minisheet and cover imagery: Alexi Lubomirski (colour stamp and minisheet); PX/XY, Camera Press London (black-and-white stamp); avian (wallpaper) and Darya Kozlovskikh (graphic detail), both Shutterstock.com

Medallion obverse

The obverse of the medallion is quite simple, with a design symbolising the crown around the edge and the text “The King’s Birthday” in the centre.

When do we celebrate?

As mentioned, King Charles III was born 14 November 1948. The birthday of the monarch is celebrated in many Commonwealth nations. The date varies between countries, and sometimes within countries.

The United Kingdom do not have a bank holiday for the King’s Birthday, however it is celebrated on the second Saturday in June with the “Trooping the colour“. This has been the case for 260 years.

In Australia, ACT, NSW, NT, SA, Tasmania and Victoria have A public holiday on the second Monday in June.

In Western Australia, the holiday is September 23. This is because “Western Australia Day” is held on the first Monday in June. Some regional areas hold the holiday on a different date.

In Queensland, the holiday is October 7 (I can’t find the rationale for this? If anyone knows, please do comment below!)

Medallion reverse

The reverse of the medallion features the words to “God Save the King”:

God save our gracious King!
Long live our noble King!
God save the King!
Send Him victorious,
Happy and gloriοus,
Long to reign over us.
God save the King.

God Save the King is the national anthem of the United Kingdom. First adopted in 1745, God Save the King was Australia’s national anthem until 1894, when “Advance Australia Fair” was adopted.

Impressions

While the regular medallion PNC was limited to 2,023 pieces, there was an even more limited edition piece sold as part of the Impressions 2023 range. This is a range of very limited edition PNCs and other pieces put out by Australia Post, usually in late October each year. In this case, the Impressions King’s Birthday medallion PNC was limited to 150. The list price was $69.95 and it featured a purple medallion with gold (rather than gold with purple). The medallion had an extra decorative flourish near the bottom which was individually numbered. The envelope is gold, featuring the same two stamps but a larger image of the King at his desk.