Prince William will be marrying Kate Middleton? The Royal Mint has made preparations to begin production of a commemorative coin to celebrate the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, fuelling speculation that they are poised to announce their engagement. As reported by the Daily Mail on Sunday, it has been told that a plaster mould of the special coin has been made, the first step in the manufacturing process. The project is so secret that staff at the Royal Mint’s plant at Llantrisant have been banned from talking about the coin, but insiders have confirmed that the initial design work has been done.
One source said: ‘I have seen the plaster model from which they will cast the die. They are ready to go. All they are waiting for is the date.’
Last night Clarence House said it was unaware that the Royal Mint, which is a Government-owned company operated by the Treasury, had prepared for production of the coin. In the case of a Royal engagement, Prince William would first need to seek the Queen’s permission. Her private secretary would then inform the Government ahead of a public announcement, made by the Prince’s aides at Clarence House. While Press officers at Clarence House refuse to speculate on a wedding date, a senior aide yesterday appeared to confirm that a wedding was in the pipeline, saying: ‘We don’t know the date, only William and Kate know. I don’t expect we’ll be told until the last minute. William plays his cards very close to his chest, that’s his nature. Prince William and Kate have been together for nine years and 'are as good as engaged' - but there has been no official annoucement
"We weren’t aware that a coin is being made, it sounds like a case of forward planning. You would imagine that given the very name Royal Mint, this coin would require some form of authorisation from the Palace, at least for the use of the image of the Prince. We cannot police every time an image of the Prince is used, but I’m guessing Royal Mint would need authorisation for this."
The coin, which will go on sale once the couple’s engagement has been announced, is expected to be minted in both gold and silver. It will bear portraits of the couple, although no details of the design have been released. It is thought that the initial work was completed by a small in-house design team, meaning knowledge of the project could be confined to only a handful of people. There are several windows for the couple to marry next year and 2011 is said by aides to be the opportune year for a Royal wedding. Not only is it the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90th birthday in June, it would have been the late Princess of Wales’s 50th birthday in August and it is the 30th anniversary of her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles on July 29.
One source said: ‘I have seen the plaster model from which they will cast the die. They are ready to go. All they are waiting for is the date.’
Last night Clarence House said it was unaware that the Royal Mint, which is a Government-owned company operated by the Treasury, had prepared for production of the coin. In the case of a Royal engagement, Prince William would first need to seek the Queen’s permission. Her private secretary would then inform the Government ahead of a public announcement, made by the Prince’s aides at Clarence House. While Press officers at Clarence House refuse to speculate on a wedding date, a senior aide yesterday appeared to confirm that a wedding was in the pipeline, saying: ‘We don’t know the date, only William and Kate know. I don’t expect we’ll be told until the last minute. William plays his cards very close to his chest, that’s his nature. Prince William and Kate have been together for nine years and 'are as good as engaged' - but there has been no official annoucement
"We weren’t aware that a coin is being made, it sounds like a case of forward planning. You would imagine that given the very name Royal Mint, this coin would require some form of authorisation from the Palace, at least for the use of the image of the Prince. We cannot police every time an image of the Prince is used, but I’m guessing Royal Mint would need authorisation for this."
The coin, which will go on sale once the couple’s engagement has been announced, is expected to be minted in both gold and silver. It will bear portraits of the couple, although no details of the design have been released. It is thought that the initial work was completed by a small in-house design team, meaning knowledge of the project could be confined to only a handful of people. There are several windows for the couple to marry next year and 2011 is said by aides to be the opportune year for a Royal wedding. Not only is it the Duke of Edinburgh’s 90th birthday in June, it would have been the late Princess of Wales’s 50th birthday in August and it is the 30th anniversary of her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles on July 29.
Source: Daily Mail UK
