The Royal Family at The Royal Mint

Established more than 1,100 years ago, the link between the British monarchy and The Royal Mint is a connection that remains strong. There has been a long tradition of royal visits to The Royal Mint, often marked with the striking of coins or the creation of medals.

His Majesty King Charles III visited us on several occasions in his former role as The Prince of Wales. His first visit took place when he attended the official opening of the current site in Llantrisant, alongside Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, on 17 December 1968.

The reason for The Royal Mint’s move to South Wales was the huge task of making the coins required for decimalisation. At the official opening of the new premises, the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Glamorgan, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Jack James, the Deputy Master of the Mint, welcomed the royal party. After unveiling a plaque to mark the opening, there was a tour of the site and the young prince struck some of the new decimal coins, including 2p pieces, the reverse design of which featured the badge of the Prince of Wales.

Almost 50 years after the official opening, he visited The Royal Mint once more to strike the first of the coins made to commemorate the contribution that his father, Prince Philip, had made to public life. 

As well as his considerable efforts on the behalf of many charities and causes, Prince Philip played a major role in the development of UK coinage, serving as President of The Royal Mint Advisory Committee from 1952 until 1999. Throughout this unbroken period of 47 years, the committee he chaired discussed and approved every UK coin and medal produced by The Royal Mint, including four definitive coinage portraits of Queen Elizabeth II.

To mark the occasion, the heir apparent struck the coin during a visit to The Royal Mint Experience on Tuesday, 11 July 2017. Featuring an image of his father on the reverse, the coin features the final definitive coinage portrait of his mother on the obverse.

During his visit, the former Prince of Wales took a tour through The Royal Mint Experience, which opened in 2016, and visited the Coin Press Room, where he met the people involved in the production of the new 12-sided UK £1 coin. He had also visited The Royal Mint in 1982 to witness work on the first £1 coin, sometimes referred to as the ‘round pound’.

As we celebrate the coronation of King Charles III with a beautiful collection of UK coins, we look forward to continuing our connection to the British monarchy and the Royal Family.