Images of animals will feature on the next series of banknotes from the Bank of England, as the central bank shifts away from historical figures such as William Shakespeare, Winston Churchill and Jane Austen over the coming years.

“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,” Victoria Cleland, the BoE’s chief cashier, said.

Bank of England banknotes have featured monarchs since Queen Elizabeth first appeared on one in 1960, while Shakespeare was the first historic figure to appear in 1970.

King Charles’ portrait will continue to appear on the next series of notes as well, the BoE said.

The BoE held a consultation on a change to the design of banknotes in July 2025, inviting views from the public.

The theme of nature was supported by 60% of the 44,000 responses, narrowly beating the category of “architecture and landmarks” on 56% and “notable historical figures” on 38%. Other categories included “arts, culture and sport”, “innovation”, and “noteworthy milestones”.

The new notes will feature wildlife native to the United Kingdom and will not include household pets, the BoE said. It plans to run a second consultation in the coming months, asking for the public’s views on specific animals to feature on the notes taken from a list created by British wildlife experts.

The BoE is not the only producer of banknotes in the United Kingdom. Notes are also produced by seven commercial banks in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Eminem has lost another close family member, with his maternal grandmother Betty Kresin dying on Tuesday, 10th March at her home in Missouri at the age of 87. But the relationship seems to be in question.

Sources close to the family confirmed to TMZ that she died from complications related to breast cancer.

The rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers, was not present when she passed. 

The loss comes just over a year after the death of his mother, Debbie Nelson, who died in December 2024 following a battle with advanced lung cancer. 

Betty was Debbie’s mother.

The relationship between Eminem and his grandmother was a complicated one. 

In an August 2000 interview with London’s Mirror, Kresin spoke candidly about the painful distance that had grown between them as her grandson’s fame, and notoriety, grew. 

“Neither his mother Debbie nor I can figure out what happened to this sweet, caring youngster. In just over 12 years he’s gone from telling me ‘Grandma I love you,’ to ‘Go to hell.’ It just breaks my heart,” she said. 

“I can’t believe this is my Marshall, the same boy who used to come and sit on my lap.” 

She also described his music at the time as “vile and disgusting.” 

Despite the public airing of those grievances, fans who knew of the family’s history have been quick to note the role Kresin played in Eminem’s early life.

One Instagram commenter writes: “That was the grandma’s house he always went to as a kid when things got rough at home. She loved him so much and always took care of him.”

Tributes from fans have poured in across social media since news of her death broke. 

Eminem, 53, has not publicly commented on the loss. 

He recently became a grandfather himself after his daughter Hailie Jade welcomed a son, Elliot Marshall McClintock, with husband Evan McClintock, a name chosen in honour of Marshall Mathers himself.