Queen Elizabeth is just months away from a milestone birthday — and the U.K.'s Royal Mint is already celebrating.
The Royal Mint unveiled five new commemorative coins for 2021, including a £5 coin to mark the monarch's 95th birthday in April. The issue of a £5 coin is usually reserved for special royal occasions.
The coin features the royal cipher "EIIR" and the words "my heart and my devotion," referencing part of her iconic 1957 Christmas broadcast, the first to be televised.
"In the old days, the monarch led his soldiers on the battlefield and his leadership at all times was close and personal. Today, things are very different," she said in the speech. "I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice, but I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations."
During Queen Elizabeth's reign since 1952, the U.K.'s circulating coins have featured five different portraits of the monarch.
Four other commemorative coins were also announced, including a £2 coin to celebrate 250 years since Scottish novelist Sir Walter Scott's birth and another £2 coin to mark the 75th anniversary of the death of author H.G. Wells.
The Royal Mint also commissioned a 50p coin to mark 50 years since the U.K. swapped the pounds, shillings and pence currency system for the 100 pennies in a pound. Finally, a 50p coin was released to mark the 75th anniversary of the death of the inventor John Logie Baird.
"From celebrating a very special royal occasion to marking the 50th anniversary of decimalisation," the Royal Mint said on Instagram alongside a photo of the new coins. "This year’s Annual Sets capture some of the year’s most important events, anniversaries and celebrations all in miniature."
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When Queen Elizabeth turns 95 on April 21, she will make history as the first British monarch to reach the age. The Queen is already the longest-reigning British monarch, having surpassed Queen Victoria back in 2015.
Prince Philip is also marking a milestone birthday this year: the Queen's husband, who retired from royal life in 2017, is set to turn 100 in June.
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