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 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
· 1000 RUPEES ·

Reverse

A mirrored monogram of C and D (C interlaced D) surrounded by a conjugated combined coat of arms of Charles and Diana, the Prince and Princess of Wales (three plumes within a crown with a ribbon) with the coat of arms of the Republic of Mauritius enclosed by their names above and date below.

The coat of arms of Mauritius was designed by the Mayor of Johannesburg in 1906, Johann Van Der Puf consists of a Dodo Bird and Sambur Deer which symbolize the extinct and present wildlife; they support two sugar canes indicating the importance of sugar for the local economy. In the lower right quarter is a key and on the left-hand side is a white star, which is referred to in the Latin motto “Stella Clavisque Maris Indici” meaning “Star and Key of the Indian Ocean".

T.R.H. THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES
ICH DIEN
STELLA CLAVISQUE MARIS INDICI
· 29 JULY 1981 ·

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Gold
Fineness 0.917
Weight 15.98 g
Diameter -
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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