Royal Mint starts work on £5 commemorative coin to mark big day

The Royal Mint will produce the £5 collector's piece in the coming months and have it on sale before next year's wedding, expected to be in March.
By The Newsroom
Published 19th Nov 2010, 08:30 BST
Updated 19th Nov 2010, 08:31 BST

The engagement which has caught the imagination of the world is also likely to be celebrated by a new stamp.

The Royal Mail said its Special Stamp programme always aimed to honour key events in the country's heritage and it would be consulting with the Queen and other parties before anything was produced.

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Many commemorative medals and coins have been created by the Royal Mint in honour of the British Monarchy during its 1,100-year history.

When William's father the Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer in July 1981 the event was also marked by a coin showing the couple in profile with the Queen's image on the reverse.

Plans for the wedding are well under way and Miss Middleton was pictured last night leaving Westminster Abbey.

Former SAS officer Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, private secretary to William and his brother Prince Harry, is leading the team organising the event.

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A Royal Mint spokeswoman said: "As the UK's official coin producer for 1,100 years, we can confirm that the Royal Mint is producing a commemorative Alderney 5 to celebrate the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton."

She added: "The Royal Mint has created many commemorative medals and coins in honour of the British Monarchy over the millennium but this coin is the first royal engagement coin ever produced in the Royal Mint's long history."

The spokeswoman said that despite having a value of 5 the coin was not legal tender.

Related topics:Royal MailKate MiddletonPrince WilliamQueenWestminster Abbey