Royal Mint celebrates Prince Philip and a life of service to Queen and Country with an Ian Rank Broadley penned coin range

On 9 April this year, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, passed away at the ripe old age of 99. Born into the Greek and Danish royal families, he joined the Royal Navy after the family fled to Britain. In 1939, Philip went to war. He wasn’t cossetted, seeing combat in several theatres, and serving on such famous warships as the Queen Elizabeth-class battleship ‘HMS Valiant’. He was present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender, and continued to serve until 1952, when his wife of five years, Princess Elizabeth, ascended to the throne.

It’s often said he lived a full life, and his list of accomplishments is certainly impressive. Almost 800 organisations had him as either a patron, president or member, usually associated with the environment, industry, sport, and education. He helped found the World Wildlife Fund and served as a President of it in one form or another for many decades. He was a President of the Zoological Society of London for two decades, helped set up the Queens Award for Enterprise, the Maritime Trust, and more.

To many a polarising figure because of his ‘gaffes’, few of those people on the end of them had anything bad to say about the man, puitting his legendary lack of tact down to making people feel at ease. Married to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years, he was a steadfast defender of her, helping steer the Royal Family through many a dark period. Personally, I had respect for ther man. Despite some misteps, he grasped life to the full, dedicated himself to service (over 22,000 solo engagements alone!), and left behind an impressive mark on the world. I’m sure there’ll be keyboard warriors that disagree, but Philip was still doing his duty 30 years past retirement age. Few can say that.

As for the coin, it’s superb. Famed effigy artist Ian Rank Broadley is responsible for the portrait and its perfect – instantly recognisable. The rest of the coin is set aside for a simple inscription, which is well laid out and very clean and crisp. Obviously, the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II sits on the obverse, the one by Jody Clark. The range is extensive and covers 15 formats, from a £13 base metal coin, to a £147,250 2kg gold. It’s available right now, and the queues on the Royal Mint website are over 4,000 long as I write this. A sell out for sure, and a respectful and fitting tribute.

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PRESS RELEASE

The Royal Mint, the Original Maker of UK coins, has unveiled the official commemorative coin to celebrate the life and legacy of HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The £5 coin features an original new portrait that was personally approved by The Duke of Edinburgh in 2008.

The Duke of Edinburgh was the longest serving consort in British history, and for decades provided steadfast support to Her Majesty The Queen and The Royal Family. The memorial coin bears the inscription “HRH The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh 1921-2021” and was designed by the acclaimed artist Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS.

In keeping with Royal tradition, the denomination of the memorial coin is a £5 Crown – typically used to mark significant moments such as Coronations and Jubilees. To honour Prince Philip’s philanthropic legacy, The Royal Mint will donate £50,000 from the sale of the coins, to be split between The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award in the UK and The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation. The donation will help the charities continue to support young people in the UK and overseas. The Royal Mint has also unveiled a temporary new exhibition honouring the legacy of the Prince at its tourist attraction, The Royal Mint Experience.

Prince Philip had a keen interest in coins, and was President of The Royal Mint Advisory Committee (RMAC) from 1952 until 1999. As President he oversaw the design of coins, medals and seals for the UK. His appointment coincided with the death of George VI, and the need for a new suite of coins bearing the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. In total he oversaw four new definitive coin portraits of The Queen during his tenure as President, as well as the new coins needed for decimalisation.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “This coin is a fitting tribute to The Duke of Edinburgh, who moved and inspired so many people around the world with his decades of service both to the nation and Her Majesty The Queen. I’m proud to unveil the coin on Armed Forces Day, considering his distinguished naval career and unwavering dedication to our Monarch and to his Royal duties, and it is only right that he and the Queen are depicted together on both sides of it.”

Anne Jessopp, Chief Executive of The Royal Mint, said: “Since the passing of The Duke of Edinburgh in April, many have commented that he led a life well lived. He was the longest serving consort in British history, and patron or president to over 750 organisations – including The Royal Mint Advisory Committee.

“The Royal Mint has marked significant Royal events for centuries, and is honoured to unveil an original new coin which celebrates the life and legacy of a remarkable man. It feels fitting that this coin – which was personally approved by the Prince – will also support the work of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. The Awards have benefited millions of young people since they were formed in 1956, and are perhaps Prince Philip’s greatest legacy.”

Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, designer of the coin, recalls meeting Prince Philip to share the design: “The portrait sitting took place in Prince Philip’s library and you could tell he was a widely read and thoughtful person. It was a great privilege to spend some time with him and, as with other members of The Royal Family, I found he was very generous with his time. I hope the design captures Prince Philip – an impressive, highly intelligent and humorous man.”

Ruth Marvel, CEO of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards said: “This wonderful tribute will help us build on The Duke of Edinburgh’s legacy so more young people can start their DofE Award journey and develop the skills, resilience and self-belief they will need to successfully navigate the challenges of adult life.”

John May, Secretary General of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation said: “The Royal Mint’s Commemorative Coins are a piece of British history and we are honoured to be involved. Prince Philip was a champion of the infinite potential of young people and his Award is even more relevant now than when it started. This support will ensure that more young people worldwide can use the Award to discover their resilience, adaptability, confidence and leadership skills and be ready to face the world of today and tomorrow.”

GOLD
DENOMINATION £25 UKP £5 UKP £200 UKP £500 UKP £500 UKP £1,000 UKP £2,000 UKP
COMPOSITION 0.9999 gold 0.9167 gold 0.9999 gold 0.9999 gold 0.9999 gold 0.9999 gold 0.9999 gold
WEIGHT 7.8 grams 39.94 grams 62.42 grams 156.3 grams 312.52 grams 1005.00 grams 2010.00 grams
DIMENSIONS 22.0 mm 38.61 mm 40.0 mm 50.0 mm 65.0 mm 100.0 mm 150.0 mm
FINISH Proof Proof Proof Proof Proof Proof Proof
LP MINTAGE 750 500 300 150 50 10 5
MAX MINTAGE
PRICE £650 £2,650 £4,650 £11,125 £22,250 £67,500 £147,250
SILVER
DENOMINATION £5 UKP £5 UKP £5 UKP £10 UKP £10 UKP £500 UKP £1,000 UKP
COMPOSITION 0.925 silver 0.925 silver 0.999 silver 0.999 silver 0.999 silver 0.999 silver 0.999 silver
WEIGHT 28.28 grams 56.56 grams 62.86 grams 156.3 grams 312.52 grams 1005.00 grams 2010.00 grams
DIMENSIONS 38.61 mm 38.61 mm 40.0 mm 65.0 mm 65.0 mm 100.0 mm 150.0 mm
FINISH Proof Proof Proof Proof Proof Proof Proof
LP MINTAGE 6,000 1,750 1,000 750 150 75 50
MAX MINTAGE
PRICE £92.50 £172.50 £185 £465 £885 £2,330 £4,995