King Charles III's name adorns new batch of passports

In a historical move, British passports will bear the title of "His Majesty" for the first time in 70 years, as they begin to be issued this week under the name of King Charles III.

The new design update was unveiled by UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Tuesday evening (18), replacing the previous salutation of "Her Majesty" following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

As per tradition, the 74-year-old King will not personally carry a passport, as it is a document issued in his name.

“For 70 years, Her Majesty has appeared on British passports and many of us will not remember a time when she did not feature. Today marks a significant moment in UK history, as the first British passports since 1952 start featuring the title of His Majesty, the King,” said Braverman.

“As HM Passport Office enters a new era in its history, it is delivering an exceptional service and I am extremely grateful for their outstanding accomplishments and the unwavering dedication of the whole team to meet the needs of the British public. While vast improvements have been made, I continue to urge the public to make sure they apply for passports in good time,” she said.

The earliest recorded British passports can be traced back to the reign of Henry V in 1414 when they were known as safe conducts.

However, it was not until 1915 that the first modern-style British passports, which included a photograph and signature, were issued.

In 1972, the first security feature, a special watermark, was introduced in passports. Since then, British passports have seen a substantial increase in security features. These include watermarks, holograms, elaborately printed patterns, and the incorporation of a polycarbonate page.

These measures are intended to provide reassurance to British nationals that their passport is unique and safeguarded against counterfeiting.

In 1988, the issuance of the first burgundy-coloured machine-readable passports marked a significant development.

Subsequently, after more than 30 years, in 2020, the UK reintroduced the distinctive blue passport cover following its departure from the European Union (EU).

According to the Home Office, during the first six months of this year they have processed over 5 million passports.

More than 99 per cent of these passports were issued within the standard UK service timeframe of 10 weeks, with the vast majority being processed well within this timeline. And over 90 per cent of the passports were delivered to applicants within three weeks.

It hailed it as a “significant improvement” in His Majesty's Passport Office (HM Passport Office) performance since 2022, during which time 95.4 per cent of passports were issued within this 10-week timeframe.

It attributed the improvements to a series of strategic measures implemented to overcome the challenges faced in early 2022, including process improvements, significant advancements in digital systems, enhanced access to flexible resources, and the introduction of a second supplier of customer contact services.

(PTI)