A New Photo Shows King Charles With the Red Box Carrying Out Government Duties
On September 8, 2022, upon the death of the UK's longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, her son, Charles, immediately became king. While the beginning of his reign was understandably dominated by the mourning for his mother, with the Queen's state funeral having taken place this Monday, the new King Charles appears to be settling in to his new position in earnest.
Today, Buckingham Palace released a new photo of the King carrying out his official government duties. Taken in the 18th century room at Buckingham Palace last week, the photo shows Charles working from The King’s Red Box—a case containing papers for the monarch, including documents from government ministers in the United Kingdom, representatives from the Commonwealth, and other pressing work that might need the crown's attention. Per the Palace, "the documents are sent from the Private Secretary’s Office to The King, wherever he may be in residence, in a locked red despatch box."
For longtime fans of the royal family, the Red Box may be familiar. The cases have become a famous icon of the working monarch, and Queen Elizabeth was often pictured alongside hers while doing her official duties. According to Barrow Hepburn & Gale, the British leathergoods purveyor who makes the boxes, "the designation of the Despatch box goes back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I."
The Queen reportedly received the boxes, marked with her cypher, almost every day of the year, with the exception of Christmas Day. At least as far as 2015, she was still using the ones that were made for her upon her 1953 coronation. The Evening Standard reported that Charles will have his own cypher, suggesting that he is likely using new boxes of his own.
In addition to the first appearance of Charles's Red Box, the new photo also nods to his family history. In the background appears a portrait of Charles's parents, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, which was given by them to Elizabeth's father, King George VI for Christmas in 1951.
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