Queen Elizabeth II will be celebrated by the Royal Mint this year, with a new £5 coin released to mark the 100th anniversary of her birth.
The Royal Mint announced the news on Friday, revealing that coins will also be struck to commemorate the 50th anniversary of The King’s Trust, the 100th anniversary of the Grand Prix in Britain, the 200th anniversary of the Zoological Society of London, and the 200th anniversary of HMS Beagle.
The £5 coin for Queen Elizabeth II will feature the late queen’s cypher and St. Edward’s Crown surrounded by a foliage design inspired by the ironwork of the East Door of St. George’s Chapel, where she is buried.
The rim of the coin will feature 100 beads to represent the centenary. Queen Elizabeth II’s name and the years 1926-2026 will be etched onto the coin, with the phrase ‘Exaltabitur in gloria’, which means ‘She will be exalted in glory’, added.
“This is an exciting moment for the nation to discover some of the anniversaries that will be celebrated on UK coins in 2026,” said Rebecca Morgan, the Director of Commemorative Coins at the Royal Mint, in a statement.
“Whether you’re a royal enthusiast, a motor racing fan, or passionate about conservation, there’s something for everyone in this collection.”
The Queen Elizabeth II coins will be available to purchase at The Royal Mint’s website, and will not be released into general circulation.
The Royal Mint’s tribute won’t be the only way Queen Elizabeth II’s centenary is recognised.
The Royal Collection Trust will launch a new exhibit, Queen Elizabeth II: Her Life in Style, at Buckingham Palace this summer, between 10 April and 18 October. Two hundred clothing items from the life of the late queen, from her birth through to the last decade of her life, will go on display, some for the first time.
Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding dress and coronation gown will be among the highlights, as will the Edward Molyneux-designed bridesmaid dress she wore in 1934 for the wedding of her uncle, the Duke of Kent to Princess Marina of Greece.
Elizabeth II was born on 21 April 1926 to the then-Duke and Duchess of York; she succeeded her father, George VI, in 1952 and reigned until her death on 8 September 2022.
