King Charles III names Prince Edward the new Duke of Edinburgh
On his 59th birthday, Prince Edward has been gifted the title of Duke of Edinburgh by his brother, King Charles III.
His Royal Highness becomes the Duke of Edinburgh almost two years after the passing of Prince Philip – his father.
It is believed that Prince Philip had wished for his eldest son to take on the title and this decision was made today by King Charles.
The former Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, was given the title on the morning of his wedding to the then Princess Elizabeth.
Prince Edward will attend the coronation in May as a duke, alongside his wife Sophie, who now becomes the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The five UK coins that feature the Duke of Edinburgh
During his lifetime, Prince Philip – the previous Duke of Edinburgh – was commemorated on several UK coins.
In 1997, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary, and His Highness featured on a UK coin for the very first time as part of a conjoined effigy on the obverse of the commemorative £5 coin.
2007 saw a similar conjoined portrait.
The 2017 Platinum Wedding Anniversary coin featured the Queen and Prince Philip on horseback in a nod to the original 1953 Coronation Crown as well as a third conjoined portrait.
In 2011 Prince Philip was finally granted the greatest privilege – his own £5 Coin to celebrate his 90th Birthday.
This was followed in 2017, with a design of the young Prince Philip by Humphrey Paget to mark Prince Philip stepping down from public duties after 70 years of service.
Now that Edward takes on this title, collectors will eagerly be anticipating a royal issue featuring the new Duke of Edinburgh’s portrait. Only time will tell!
Browse our Duke of Edinburgh coin range
The end of an era: The final stamps of Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II has graced UK stamps for 70 years, but now we’re coming to the end of an era; Royal Mail have released their final commemorative stamp issue with the Queen’s silhouette, celebrating the centenary of the world’s most famous locomotive – Flying Scotsman.
So, before we steam ahead towards the BRAND-NEW Flying Scotsman editions, let’s take a look back at Queen Elizabeth II’s iconic 70-year reign in UK postage…
The beginning of Queen Elizabeth II stamps
1953 marked the beginning of Her Majesty’s Reign and the introduction of the Wildings – a series of definitive postage and revenue stamps featuring Dorothy Wilding’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which were used up until 1967.
The first four stamps to be issued within this series were for Her Majesty’s 1953 Coronation, presented in the colours of Carmine-Red, Ultramarine, Deep Yellow-Green and Deep Grey-Blue.
Commemorative stamps were then introduced during the 1950s and early 1960s. However, the Postmaster General, Tony Benn, proposed a new criteria outlining what could appear on them. From 1965, it was decided that all GB stamps had to include a small silhouette of the Queen based on the coinage head of Mary Gillick, which then became the standard.
Two once-in-a-lifetime tributes
And now, Royal Mail have issued twelve commemorative editions featuring Flying Scotsman.
Not only are they the official UK stamps to mark the centenary of the world’s most famous locomotive, but they will also be the last to show the Queen’s silhouette after 70 years – marking two incredible moments in British history!
These nostalgic editions portray the steam locomotive travelling through North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Berwick-on-Tweed and London’s Victoria Station. Inspired by poster artwork from the 1920s and 1930s, Royal Mail’s spokesman David Gold intends for them to evoke “the golden age of steam travel”.
Your chance to celebrate both!
To pay tribute to such monumental moments in history, a limited-edition coin and stamp cover has been released, comprised of The Royal Mint’s Official UK 2023 Flying Scotsman £2 in Brilliant Uncirculated Quality along with Royal Mail’s BRAND-NEW Flying Scotsman stamps.
But considering these are the last UK stamps to feature Queen Elizabeth II, we are predicting insatiable demand – and we have already seen sell-outs at The Royal Mint for the Flying Scotsman coin range.
All steams ahead! Click here to secure one for your collection now >>
The story of the 1-a-minute Coronation sell-out
With a bank holiday weekend, star-studded concert, street parties across the nation and sell-out collectibles, the Coronation of King Charles III will be THE royal celebration of a lifetime.
Coin collectors don’t need telling twice how important this event is. The first Coronation for 70 years is going to be massive.
And the evidence of this came just under a week ago.
100 “Mint Masters” Coronation Sets launched at 9am on Wednesday 22 February. Just before 10:40am we saw a complete sell out.
1 set sold EVERY MINUTE until they were all allocated.
Why did it sell out so quickly?
Approved by King Charles III, the sell-out Mint Masters Set features three Silver £5 coins, issued specially for the Coronation.
Each coin depicts a key element of the Coronation. You have the King’s cypher, the Coronation Carriage and the Imperial State Crown.
A Golden Celebration
Unusually, the Mint Masters Set is reverse-plated in 24 Carat Gold, meaning the coins are struck from Fine Silver but feature additional gold plating.
The obverse designs have been left unplated, making the Coronation elements really stand out.
Design Royalty
Each coin in the Mint Masters Set features designs from one of the best in the business, a man synonymous with royalty on coinage.
Timothy Noad has worked as a professional calligrapher, illuminator and heraldic artist for over thirty years, acquiring an international reputation for his elegant and meticulous work.
A prolific designer of British coins and medals, Tim is the artist behind five One Pound coins and three Crowns commemorating royal occasions.
In 2022, he achieved the unique distinction of having his designs chosen for three Gold Sovereigns, The Queen’s Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Medals.
For the Mint Masters Set, he’s designed the Coronation Carriage and Imperial State Crown.
The end result is one of the best-looking sets you’ll see for the Coronation. Sure to be treasured pieces for the lucky 100 collectors that secured them before the quick sell-out.
If you’re interested…
But there’s good news! If you’re quick, you can get your hands on the Fine Silver Coronation £5 Coin Set. Limited to 995, the coins in this set feature 24 Carat Gold plating on the reverse designs.
Judging by the speed of the Mint Masters Set sell-out, these won’t be available for long so you’ll have to act fast.
Secure a set for your collection now >>
