The Royal Mint celebrates His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge's 40th Birthday

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May 22, 2022, 19:01 ET

The Duke of Cambridge's 40^th birthday will be marked with a £5 coin made by The Royal Mint
The coin features a portrait of the His Royal Highness - the first time The Duke has featured alone on official UK coin struck by The Royal Mint.
The coin is available in a range of base and precious metals at The Royal Mint website.

LANTRISANT, Wales, May 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The Royal Mint is celebrating The Duke of Cambridge's 40th birthday with a commemorative £5 coin, featuring a portrait of His Royal Highness. The £5 coin has been unveiled ahead of The Duke's milestone celebration next month, with a regal design which pays homage to the senior member of the Royal family, and second in line to the throne.

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Designed by Thomas T. Docherty, designer and engraver at The Royal Mint, the coin features Prince William's portrait, depicted at a three-quarter angle to present a dynamic quality, and set amid his Royal Cypher and the number '40' to reflect the stature and maturity of the future King. Available in a range of base and precious metals finishes, the commemorative design has been struck on the opposite side of his grandmother's effigy, the fifth definitive portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Jody Clark.

On the £5 coin struck in silver and gold, the edge inscription: 'HRH THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE' complements the theme with an original numismatic feature. The original maker of coins has been trusted to tell the story of monarchs for centuries and the new release is the first UK coin featuring an individual portrait of HRH available at The Royal Mint.

Clare Maclennan, Director of Commemorative Coin at The Royal Mint, said: "As the trusted maker of coins for the monarchs, we are celebrating His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge's landmark 40^th Birthday with a commemorative coin fit for a future King. The elegant design features a portrait of HRH alongside his Royal Cypher and the number '40', which pays homage to the maturity and grace of the Prince who has become a senior member of the Royal Family, a devoted husband and a loving father of three, through the eyes of the world."

Royal Mint designer Thomas T. Docherty, whose work includes the 2008 £2 coin commemorating the centenary of the 1908 London Olympics, the Remembrance Day 2016 Alderney £5 coin and the 2018 Bicentenery of Mary Shelly's Frankenstein £2 coin, said:

"The design strikes a balance between this fresh energy of His Royal Highness being a young dad with the ceremonial nature of his Royal position. A three-quarter angle of the portrait creates a more dynamic representation rather than a traditional side-on profile.

"I used certain clay sculpting techniques on a digital platform to achieve the style needed for the design, to translate effectively from two to three dimensions. Using technology, we can now produce designs and sculptures with better efficiency compared to when I began my career 17 years ago. There's a high level of skills and craftsmanship needed to sculpt designs – the tools are different but the principles remain the same. I am incredibly proud to have designed and sculpted this coin, it will forever stand as a major achievement and highlight in my career."

About The Royal Mint

With a history spanning more than 1,100 years, The Royal Mint is Britain's oldest companies and the original maker of UK coins. Today The Royal Mint is a premium British maker, providing carefully crafted coins and precious metal products for the UK and overseas. Based in Llantrisant, South Wales it has three main focuses as a business: Currency, Consumer (collectable and rare, historic coins) and precious metals investment.

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SOURCE The Royal Mint