The Royal Tudor Beasts are an awe-inspiring and intimidating group of heraldic creatures that stood guard at Hampton Court Palace during the reign of Henry VIII, and are still present today. Representing the ancestry of the king and his third wife, Jane Seymour, the beasts continued the tradition of representing heritage and strengths with animals – the real and the mythical.
The collection starts with the Lion of England, a ferocious creature that represented the king and has been a symbol of monarchs since the twelfth century. David Lawrence, who took inspiration from the ten stone Royal Beasts that line the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace, created the reverse design, which is set against a new surface animation background texture. The coin’s obverse features the fifth definitive coinage portrait of Her Majesty The Queen by Jody Clark.
Struck in 999.5 fine platinum, the coin is also available in additional gold and silver editions, finished to The Royal Mint’s bullion standard.