Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 10 Rupees 1981, KM# 46, Mauritius, Elizabeth II, Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, Royal Wedding
  • 10 Rupees 1981, KM# 46, Mauritius, Elizabeth II, Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, Royal Wedding
Description

British Mauritius was a British crown colony. Formerly part of the French colonial empire, the crown colony of Mauritius was established after a British invasion in 1810 and the subsequent Treaty of Paris that followed. It later gained independence as a Commonwealth realm on 12 March 1968.

The 1981 British Crown was issued to celebrate the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer.

The wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer took place on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral, London, United Kingdom. The ceremony was a traditional Church of England wedding service. Notable figures in attendance included many members of royal families from across the world, republican heads of state, and members of the bride's and groom's families. Their marriage was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century". It was watched by an estimated global TV audience of 750 million. The United Kingdom had a national holiday on that day to mark the wedding. The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.

Obverse

Second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara enclosed by HM name with country name above and denomination above.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Engraver: Arnold Machin

QUEEN ELIZABETH · II MAURITIUS
· 10 RUPEES ·

Reverse

A profile portrait of Lady Diana Spencer partially covered by a profile portrait of HRH The Prince of Wales, both facing to the left enclosed by their names above and date below.

Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth realms. He acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II. He was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history and, at the age of 73, is the oldest person to ascend the British throne. In 1981, he married Lady Diana Spencer, with whom he had two sons, William and Harry. In 1996, the couple divorced after they had each engaged in well-publicised extramarital affairs. In 2005, Charles married his long-time partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997), was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales. The marriage produced two sons, the princes William and Harry, who were then respectively second and third in the line of succession to the British throne. As Princess of Wales, Diana undertook royal duties on behalf of the Queen and represented her at functions overseas. She was celebrated for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Diana remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage, which ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. Her death in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997 and her funeral were accompanied by intense public mourning.

T.R.H. THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES
· 29 JULY 1981 ·

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Cupronickel
Weight 28 g
Diameter 38.8 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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