Description

The tragic events in Paris on the night of 30 August 1997, shocked the world, leading to an extraordinary outpouring of grief. Princess Diana touched the hearts and lives of so many with her compassion and commitment to good causes. On 6 September, three million people gathered to pay their respects at her funeral at Westminster Abbey and one million bouquets were left at her Kensington home. This 1999 memorial coin commemorates Diana, ‘the people’s princess’, a fitting tribute to this much loved royal figure.

Obverse

Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara.

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.

ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA FIDEI DEFENSATRIX means Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith.

Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley

ELIZABETH·II·D·G REG·F·D·1999
IRB

Reverse

A portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales with the dates 1961 and 1997, circumscription IN MEMORY OF DIANA PRINCESS OF WALES and the value FIVE POUNDS.

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.

Engraver: David Cornell

IN MEMORY OF DIANA PRINCESS OF WALES
1961 1997
·FIVE POUNDS·

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Gold
Fineness 0.916
Weight 39.94 g
Diameter 38.61 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Mint

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