United Kingdom: Fourth coin in “British Monarchs” series released featuring King Edward VII, known as the peacemaker

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The Royal Mint released its fourth coin in the “British Monarchs” series, focusing on the dynasties and monarchs who ruled over England, and, ultimately, the United Kingdom. The fourth coin features King Edward VII (1841–1910), eldest son of Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg Gotha. Known throughout much of his life as Prince Albert Edward, he was named Albert after his father and Edward after his maternal grandfather, Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. However, he was known simply as Bertie to the royal family and close friends. As the monarch’s eldest son, Prince Albert Edward was always destined to be king, and by the time he inherited the throne at the age of 59, he was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. This distinction came to an end with the accession in September 2022 of the present monarch King Charles III who, at 73, was the longest-serving heir apparent. At the age of 22, Prince Albert Edward married the beautiful Princess Alexandra, daughter of King Christian IX of Denmark, and before long, the royal couple had established themselves as the leaders of the fashionable social scene in Britain. With the long reign of his mother, Queen Victoria, Albert Edward had a great deal of time on his hands which he used to pursue recreational activities, but also he soon became one of the most well-travelled members of the Royal Family. Often referred to as the Uncle of Europe, he would ultimately use this time as Prince of Wales to rekindle family relations as he was closely related to most of Europe’s Royal families.

In January 1901, the 63-year reign of his mother ended, and he was proclaimed King, the first British monarch from the dynasty of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. His desire for a closer relationship with continental Europe earned him the nickname Edward the Peacemaker after his accession and because of his initiative of the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904. These efforts would prove very useful when war broke out in Europe and further afield just four years after his death. His relatively short reign of just nine years also saw the modernisation of the military and navy, which proved vital when Britain entered the Great War in 1914. King Edward VII died in London from complications caused by heart failure. His funeral, held on the 20th May 1910, was resplendent as it was respectful since, unbeknownst to the world, it would be the greatest gathering of royalty and rank ever congregated in one place of its kind. This was due to the outbreak of war just four years later, and many crowned heads who paid their respects to King Edward VII would lose their crowns, one after the other.

The coins of King Edward VII, ranging from five pounds to farthing, were dated 1902 and released one year after his accession depicting the King without a laurel wreath or crown as was the custom. The portrait, created by the engraver George William De Saulles, was referred to as the “bare head” and portrayed Edward VII intricately detailed and facing to the right. Due to great advancements in minting processes and the use of large-scale models in the designing process enabled the hand of the sculptor, rather than the engraver, to create stylised naturalistic portraits. De Saulles also created an alternative crowned portrait of Edward VII that appeared on the coinage of colonial and commonwealth realms such as Australia and Canada. DeSaulles’ portrait of the King is faithfully remastered using the most advanced technology resulting in a detailed, replicated effigy and overall obverse design. The legend around the effigy reads EDWARDUS VII DEI: GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX: FID: DEF: IND: IMP: (“Edward VII by the Grace of God King of all the Britons, Defender of the Faith and Emperor of India”). The abbreviations represent “EDWARDUS VII DEI GRATIA BRITANNIARUM OMNIUM REX FIDEI DEFENSOR INDIAE IMPERATOR.”

The obverse of each coin features the fifth definitive effigy of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (1926–2022) designed by Jody Clark and in use on all British commemorative and circulation-type coins since 2015. The denomination and year of issue also appear on the obverse as part of the legend surrounding the Queen’s likeness. The fourth set of British Monarchs coins will be the last to include the late Queen’s effigy. From next year the likeness of HM King Charles III will be shown on the obverse of this series and all British coins.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Maximum Mintage
2 pounds	.999 Silver	31.1 g	38.6 mm	Proof	1,360
5 pounds	.999 Silver	62.2 g	40 mm	Proof	756
10 pounds	.999 Silver	156.3 g	65 mm	Proof	281
10 pounds	.999 Silver	312.2 g	65 mm	Proof	156
100 pounds	.999 Gold	31.2 g	32.6 mm	Proof	610
200 pounds	.999 Gold	62.4 g	40 mm	Proof	106
500 pounds	.999 Gold	156.3 g	50 mm	Proof	56

Each of the gold and silver range of the British Monarchs collector coins is specially encapsulated and presented in a selection of hardwood high-gloss cases (gold) or leatherette black matte cases (silver), accompanied by numbered certificates of authenticity. For additional information about this collector series, please visit the Royal Mint’s website.

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