Posts by Alex Siddons
King Charles III names Prince Edward the new Duke of Edinburgh
On his 59th birthday, Prince Edward has been gifted the title of Duke of Edinburgh by his brother, King Charles III.
His Royal Highness becomes the Duke of Edinburgh almost two years after the passing of Prince Philip – his father.
It is believed that Prince Philip had wished for his eldest son to take on the title and this decision was made today by King Charles.
The former Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, was given the title on the morning of his wedding to the then Princess Elizabeth.
Prince Edward will attend the coronation in May as a duke, alongside his wife Sophie, who now becomes the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The five UK coins that feature the Duke of Edinburgh
During his lifetime, Prince Philip – the previous Duke of Edinburgh – was commemorated on several UK coins.
In 1997, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, and His Highness featured on a UK coin for the very first time as part of a conjoined effigy on the obverse of the commemorative £5 coin.
2007 saw a similar conjoined portrait.
The 2017 Platinum Wedding Anniversary coin featured the Queen and Prince Philip on horseback in a nod to the original 1953 Coronation Crown as well as a third conjoined portrait.
In 2011 Prince Philip was finally granted the greatest privilege – his own £5 Coin to celebrate his 90th Birthday.
This was followed in 2017, with a design of the young Prince Philip by Humphrey Paget to mark Prince Philip stepping down from public duties after 70 years of service.
Now that Edward takes on this title, collectors will eagerly be anticipating a royal issue featuring the new Duke of Edinburgh’s portrait. Only time will tell!
Browse our Duke of Edinburgh coin range
Approved by Buckingham Palace – The Official King Charles III Coronation Coins
A series of coronation coins have been approved by Buckingham Palace – featuring the official British Isles portrait of King Charles III.
Whilst we await for confirmation on a UK coronation coin, Buckingham Palace has approved a series of 50p coins celebrating His Majesty’s upcoming coronation in May.
However, one particular coin has been catching the attention of collectors…
The Dual-Plated King Charles III Coronation 50p
This 50p features the inscription ‘God Save the King‘ and is uniquely plated with a dual-plated finish of silver and 24 carat gold – not something we see very often.
This is the first coin in a brand new British Isles 50p series being issued over the coming months in the lead up to the coronation, all approved by the King himself.
You can add this coin to your collection today for our introductory offer of £4.99 (+p&p) – a saving of £20 – by clicking here.
Meet the obverse designer – Glyn Davies
In anticipation of these coins being issued, we spoke with Glyn Davies – the artist behind the British Isles King Charles III coinage portrait.
He explained that the process of creating our monarch’s portrait took him nearly 6 months. It involved initial sketches, concept sketches, clay models, digital drawings, and even having Raphael Maklouf check over them.
Raphael Maklouf famously designed the United Kingdom’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II that appeared on our coinage between 1985 to 1997.
Watch or read our full interview with Glyn Davies here >>
King Charles III’s Coronation – what we know so far
With King Charles III’s Coronation (code name Operation Golden Orb) is set for Saturday 6th May, 2023, plans are already in place.
- During the ceremony, the King will be crowned alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort.
- The King will be crowned with the solid gold 17th Century St Edward’s Crown.
- There will be an extra bank holiday across the UK, on Monday 8th May.
- It’s expected to be shorter and smaller in scale than Queen Elizabeth II’s 1953 coronation.
- The King and Queen Consort will travel to Westminster Abbey in the King’s procession, and return to Buckingham Palace in a larger coronation procession, where they will be joined by other members of the Royal Family.
- The ceremony is likely to be broadcast live.
Add the Dual-Plated Coronation to your collection!
UK 50p inspired by Jim Kay’s illustrations of Harry Potter
A brand new collection of UK 50p coins is now available, celebrating 25 years since the first publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
Since 1997, more than half a billion Harry Potter books have been sold. That means one in fifteen people in the world owns a Harry Potter book.
25 years on, the Harry Potter books continue to evolve. Most significantly, with newer illustrations by renowned artists, like Jim Kay.
Bringing magic to the page
Jim Kay is thought to have worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week on his reimagined illustrations of Harry Potter and the Wizarding World.
Jim Kay is the star of Bloomsbury’s latest editions and his illustrations can be seen in books 1-5.
From left to right: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Goblet of Fire and The Order of the Phoenix.
Speaking to The British Library, Kay said the commission of all seven illustrated Harry Potter books is the “most frightening” an artist could get.
When creating his illustrations for these books, Kay describes wanting to “give people something to discover on each reading”.
His illustrations take inspiration from museums, libraries, National Trust properties, and everything in between.
Drawing the Boy Who Lived
Jim Kay admits that the hardest thing to visualise in the whole project is Harry himself.
Sticking to the origins of the famous character, his drawings of the Boy Who Lived show a young boy, with as he describes, “an unusual face”.
2022 UK Harry Potter 50p
Jim Kay says seeing his illustrations on large scale print still fills him with fear. But, we’re sure he is delighted to see his drawings brought to life on the UK 50p for the first time.
The brand new collection of 50p coins is made up of four coins, starting with Harry Potter..
The first coin in the series is now available to order, with the remaining coins also available to pre-order.
Click here to add the Harry Potter 50p to your collection >>