United Kingdom. Latest Gold and Silver Proof Mega-Coins Honour Birth Centenary Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II

This year on the 21^st April, the British nation and much of the Commonwealth will remember what would have been the centenary birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen passed away in September 2022 at the age of 96 and as such, the year is marked as an anniversary.

For millions of people in Great Britain, across the Commonwealth and the wider world, Queen Elizabeth II embodied the heart and soul of the nation, she was admired and respected around the globe. Despite her advanced age, the announcement of her death came as a huge shock to the world. Just two days prior, the Queen’s last public engagement before her passing was when she appointed her 15th prime minister during her 70 years on the throne, the longest ever in British history. The Queen died at her home Balmoral Castle in Scotland with much of her immediate family in attendance.

Queen Elizabeth II, who was also the world’s oldest and longest-serving head of state, came to the throne following the death of her father King George VI on the 6th February 1952, when she was just 25 and was crowned in June the following year. Hers was the first televised coronation which also ushered in a new era of swift social and cultural changes. While remaining an enduring symbol of stability and continuity for Britons at a time of relative national economic and world influential decline, Queen Elizabeth II strived to adapt the ancient institution of monarchy to the demands of the modern era. As the 41st monarch in a royal line that traces its origin back to Norman King William the Conqueror in 1066, her long reign also meant she repeatedly broke records for British rulers.

When she surpassed the more than 63 years her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria spent on the throne in September 2015, she said it was not a landmark to which she had ever aspired and the day was marked with no special accolades.

The Then-Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in November 1947, their union lasted for more than73 years until his death in April 2021. Together they had four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward. It was the couple’s eldest son Charles, Prince of Wales who at the age of 73 was automatically proclaimed King with his wife Camilla becoming Queen Consort. At the time of the Queen’s death, she was head of state of not only the United Kingdom but also of Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Tuvalu, the Solomon Islands, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda.

Following her state funeral, the late Queen was buried in the King George VI Memorial Chapel, which is part of St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, on September 19, 2022. She was laid to rest in a private ceremony alongside her husband Prince Philip, her parents, and her sister, Princess Margaret who died in 2002. For the vast majority of her subjects, for whom she was the only monarch they have known, she was a figure who commanded respect and admiration and her death marked the end of an era.

The reverse side of both gold and silver coins are created by visionary artist Henry Gray, whose design includes oak branches interwoven with hidden symbols of the UK’s four home nations such as shamrocks, acorns thistle leaves. The branches surround the Queen’s monogram E II R which is crowned and itself surrounded by the circlet from the Order of the Garter - an order of chivalry founded by King Edward III in 1348. The circlet includes the motto HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE (shame be to him who thinks of evil). To the left and right side of the crown are the commemorative years 1926 and 2026. Superimposed over the oak branches and near the lower rim is the inscription EXALTABITUR IN GLORIA, a Latin phrase meaning He or She shall be exalted in glory, It is a well-known scriptural phrase and notably as a royal motto which has previously been included on past British coins. The obverse of each coin option features the definitive effigy of HM King Charles III designed by Martin Jennings. The denomination from 10 POUNDS to 1000 POUNDS and year of issue 2026 also appears on the obverse as part of the legend surrounding the King’s likeness.  

Available from the 17th March, each coin is encapsulated and presented in a custom case, the silver options are housed in matte-black cases (5 oz) or polished hardwood cases (1 kg) and are accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity. The gold coins are presented in hardwood high-gloss cases with numbered certificates of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Royal Mint.