UK wildlife to replace historical figures like Churchill and Shakespeare on banknotes

Historical figures like William Shakespeare and Sir Winston Churchill will be replaced by images of British wildlife on the next series of Bank of England banknotes.

The public will be given the chance to choose which aspects of nature will appear on the notes to "showcase the UK's rich and varied wildlife".

It marks a shift from more than 50 years of showcasing historical people, including Alan Turing and Jane Austen.

King Charles' portrait will continue to appear on the next series of notes, the Bank said.

The change to wildlife imagery will create an opportunity to celebrate another important aspect of the nation, it added.

It will also make it more difficult for the notes to be counterfeited, while making security features more distinguishable.

The move follows a consultation last summer in which the UK wildlife theme received the highest proportion of nominations, at 60%, from 44,000 responses.

In second place was architecture and landmarks with 56%, while notable historical figures was third with 38%.

A second consultation will run this summer to collect views on the specific wildlife the notes should feature.

The banknotes have displayed monarchs since Queen Elizabeth was first featured in 1960, while Shakespeare was the first historical figure to be chosen in 1970.

The new notes will feature wildlife native to the UK - such as plants, landscapes and animals - but will not include household pets, the Bank said.

The notes will "incorporate the latest anti-counterfeiting technology" and it will be "a few years" before they are issued.

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Representation of the Home Nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - will also be an "important factor" of the design.

Victoria Cleland, chief cashier at the Bank of England, said: "The key driver for introducing a new banknote series is always to increase counterfeit resilience, but it also provides an opportunity to celebrate different aspects of the UK.

"Nature is a great choice from a banknote authentication perspective and means we can showcase the UK's rich and varied wildlife on the next series of banknotes."

(c) Sky News 2026: UK wildlife to replace historical figures like Churchill and Shakespeare on banknotes