The Queen's Beasts are ten fascinating creatures representing the heraldic ties of Her Late Majesty The Queen. Displayed as statues on the day of The Queen's coronation in 1953, the beasts live on in Kew Gardens in the form of replicas by the same sculptor. In 2017, The Royal Mint took on the exciting challenge of reimagining these creatures, turning to the considerable skill of Jody Clark, whose official portrait of The Queen features on the obverse of every coin issued by The Royal Mint.

This interpretation of the White Lion of Mortimer is the seventh design in The Queen’s Beasts Collection. It is a heraldic beast that comes to The Queen through Edward IV, the first of the Yorkist kings. It is a creature with a history extending back more than 500 years and is adorned with symbols dating back even further. This is ceremony at its peak and a fantastic way to commemorate the ongoing reign of Queen Elizabeth II – the longest reign of any monarch in British history.