Brand new commemorative coins showing Charles III in a crown for the first time have been struck by the Royal Mint.

The collector’s items, which include a 50p and a £5 coin, also provide a special link for The King with his ancestors.

Charles III is shown wearing the Tudor crown – kings in the 20th century were often represented in commemorative portraits wearing this regalia.

The Tudor crown was actually destroyed in the 1640s following the English Civil War and the deposition of Charles I. However, its likeness survives in portraits and it has long been used as an heraldic device.

The image of a crowned King Charles has been created by Martin Jennings who also made the first uncrowned likeness of His Majesty for coins.

Martin Jennings said ‘‘I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work on a crowned version for the coronation range. Each detail of the crown has to be scrupulously correct so it has taken considerable work to get it right. I’m proud to have had the opportunity to realise a design that is both dignified and celebratory for this historic occasion.”

On the other side of the £5 coin is an image of St. Edward’s Crown, created by Timothy Noad, alongside the cypher of Charles III. The 50p’s reverse shows Westminster Abbey in a design by Natasha Jenkins.

Natasha Jenkins, who is Product Designer at the Royal Mint, said ”I feel so privileged to have had the opportunity to work on this project.  I was inspired to feature Westminster Abbey as it plays such an iconic role in the coronation, so I chose to opt for a stylised line drawing of Westminster Abbey that is instantly recognisable with Britain, along with King Charles’ cypher and crown to mark him being crowned as King.”

The image of a crowned King Charles will only feature on commemorative coins.

The special Coronation coins go on sale on April 24th 2023 at 9am on the Royal Mint website.