The British royal family has made history yet again. On Monday, The Royal Mint revealed a new official portrait of Queen Elizabeth that will appear on coins circulated throughout Britain.
Theimage, which was revealed at the National Portrait Gallery in London, featuresthe beloved Queen Elizabeth II wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem she donned for her 1953 Coronation, drop earrings and a hint of a warmsmile.
Designer Jody Clark did a lot of research of crowned jewels worn by her majesty beforedeciding which one to depict. "The Diamond Diadem was worn by the Queen toher Coronation and was featured in the portraits designed by Raphael Makloufand Arnold Machin, so it's a real nod to the past," said Jody. "Ithink it's the most familiar and I wanted to make some clear distinctionsbetween the portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS, as Her Majesty really hasn't aged too much in the years since."
At just33 years old, Jody is the youngest artist of the four before him. The RoyalMint Advisory Committee chose his design from several anonymous submissions ina closed competition, but it ultimately had to getapproval from the Queen herself.
"The news that my design had been chosenwas quite overwhelming, and I still can't quite believe that my royal portraitwill be featured on millions of coins, playing a small part in the Royal Mint's1,000-year history," said Jody. "I really liked the four previouscoin portraits — each one is strong in its own way. I hope that I've done HerMajesty justice and captured her as I intended, in a fitting representation."
Thismarks the fifth coin to be produced during the Queen's reign starting in 1952 and the newest since 1998. The Queen's image has changedover the years, but she continues to face right. This tradition can be tracedback to the 17th century where successive monarchs face alternatedirections on coins.
Adam Lawrence, chiefexecutive of the Royal Mint, said. "This change of royal portrait willmake 2015 a vintage year for UK coins, and it will be hugely exciting for usall to see how the new design appears on the coins we use every day."
The newcoins went into production on Monday, butthe public won't likely see them until later this year when they are put intocirculation.