The first £1 coins featuring King Charles III have entered circulation.

Nearly three million of the new designs will be making their way into people’s pockets and tills across the country this week, via Post Offices and banks throughout the UK.

A total of 2.975 million £1 coins are being issued to banks and Post Offices, and they will co-circulate alongside ones displaying the effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II, which will be replaced over time as they become damaged or worn.

The £1 coin is one of eight designs ranging from the 1p to the £2.

The £1 coin depicts a pair of British bees on the “tails” side, in honour of the King’s passion for conservation and the natural world, and Charles’ official coin effigy on the obverse or “heads”.

Rebecca Morgan, director of commemorative coin at The Royal Mint, said: “The Royal Mint has made the circulating coinage of each of Britain’s monarchs since Alfred the Great and it is an honour to reveal that King Charles III’s £1 coin is now in circulation.

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“We know there’ll be a buzz of excitement amongst collectors and the public to get this special piece of history in their change.

“We hope the designs across all denominations spark important conversations about the conservation of these important species.”

Banknotes with the King’s portrait went into circulation in June, marking the first time that the sovereign has been changed on the Bank of England’s notes.