Four Generations of Royalty
The Four Generations of Royalty Collection celebrates a historic moment as Her Majesty The Queen is joined by three future monarchs for the first time since the reign of Queen Victoria. Here you can learn more about the family and the inspiration behind the coin design. The coin is available in a number of editions, including a £5 coin struck in precious metals and finished to Proof standard and a Brilliant Uncirculated edition.
Four Generations, One Historic Moment
With the 65th anniversary of Her Majesty The Queen’s coronation, His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales’ 70th birthday, His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge’s fifth birthday, and a royal wedding to look forward to, 2018 is a busy year of celebrations for the ever-growing Royal Family. To celebrate four generations of royalty making history together, The Queen, her son, The Prince of Wales, her grandson, His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge, and her great-grandson, Prince George of Cambridge, are honoured together for the first time in a coin collection produced by The Royal Mint.
The Four Generations of Royalty Collection includes editions struck in gold and silver, finished to Proof, and a Brilliant Uncirculated edition. Each coin features an official reverse design by heraldic artist Timothy Noad, which includes the initials of the current four generations and represents the heritage of the House of Windsor.
A Century of Royal Service
The House of Windsor came into being in 1917. Until then
the Royal Family had borne the name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
which had come to them through marriage in 1840. Amid
a wave of anti-German feeling during the First World War,
George V decided a change was needed and, by adopting
a new name, the Windsor dynasty was born.
We asked Timothy how he approached the design and what inspired him:
“I started with several ideas, including a set of each of the royals in profile but decided to go for the approach of overlapping initials to convey a sense of family. Prince George won’t have his own coat of arms or coronet until he’s 18, so I needed to find something that would represent all four generations equally.
After mulling ideas over for a few days I made lots of drawings, before picking out the ones I liked and developing them. The final design is drawn as a six-inch round and I had to make sure that the details translated to the small surface of the coin, so I also used a photocopier to scale down and check how it would work on the coin.
I like strong and simple designs, which work really well on coins, but it’s also important to include specific details when working with royal themes – such as the number of pearls on St Edward’s Crown. This design combines the graphic elements of the initials with more traditional heraldic symbols which also provide a decorative quality.
The oak branch and tree are traditional emblems that aren’t associated with the heraldry of specific regions in Britain, such as the Welsh Dragon or Tudor Rose. It’s possible that the presence of the oak branch in the Royal Badge of the House of Windsor was chosen as a symbol of Britishness by the newly established Windsor family.”
Queen Elizabeth II
Born 21 April 1926M
The longest reigning monarch of the United Kingdom was only 25 years old when the sudden death of her father meant she had to leave behind the relatively carefree life she had as a military wife and mother of two. Since then, The Queen has taken on hundreds of public engagements each year while managing to fulfil the demanding roles of wife, monarch and mother. Famed for her matter-of-fact attitude and her love of horses, corgis and the countryside, she has taken her latest role as ‘Gan-Gan’ to great-grandchildren in her stride. In 2018 Her Majesty marks the 65th anniversary of her coronation, becoming the first British monarch to reach such a milestone.
Prince Charles
Born 14 November 1948
We may know her as Her Majesty The Queen, but a speech made at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations revealed that she will always be ‘mummy’ to The Prince of Wales. He was the first member of the Royal Family to break the tradition of private tuition by receiving his education at school, before going on to gain a degree at university. Known for his charitable work in fields such as global sustainability, youth opportunity, and architecture, he is also the longest-serving heir apparent and a keen salmon angler.
The Duke of Cambridge
Born 21 June 1982
The Duke of Cambridge is one of the younger royals that have grown up under the close scrutiny of the media. Like his father, he was educated at school but he was also the first royal to take a gap year, where he travelled and volunteered in Chile, Belize and Africa. A 10-year career in the military followed, alongside many charitable endeavours that he continues to support today. Now with two young children and a new baby, it is clear that he’s learned a thing or two from his grandmother’s wisdom on raising a family while attending to royal duties.
Prince George of Cambridge
Born 22 July 2013
As third in line to the throne, spirited and playful Prince George is being brought up like any other little boy. It’s too soon to tell whether Prince George will follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps by taking on military and charitable work, but he’s certainly charmed the nation already. The prince had a song called ‘Sleep On’ composed for him before he was even born and he stole the limelight at just six months old when he accompanied his parents on a tour of Australia and New Zealand. The young prince will turn five this year and we are celebrating alongside the Royal Family with a coin that has featured in the 2018 Annual Sets.
