2017-07-25 Tue

Fiji released commemorative coins to celebrate the 70th wedding anniversary of Queen Elizabeth & Prince Philip. The coin features two personal Coat of Arms of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. The inscription reads ‘Honi soit qui mal y pense’ which translates to ‘Shame on he who thinks evil’. Ivy represents wedded love & fidelity while Myrtle is the Hebrew emblem of Marriage.

The obverse features the Fiji coat of arms - a shield with the Cross of St. George and a lion holds a cacao pod. The four quarters created by the cross has sugarcane, coconut palm, bananas and a dove. 650 Platinum coins with Diamonds and 2,000 in coins in Proof Sterling Silver have been released by Pobjoy Mint.

The Queen was 13 years old when the couple first met for the first time at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in 1939. They started exchanging letters and got engaged in 1947 when the Queen was 21 years old. They got married in November 1947. After the Queen's Father, King George VI died at the age of 56, Prince Philip was made the king just five years after their wedding. They dedicatedly attended their duties with a sense of humour and love for each other.

Richard the Lionheart introduced the Royal Arms featuring three lions on 1st January 1801. The Queen has a separate version of her arms for use in Scotland with Scottish elements. HRH Prince Philips’s coat represents the Prince of Greece and Denmark on his paternal side and the Mountbatten family on his maternal side. The Duke of Edinburgh’s coat of Arms, granted in 1949, represents his lineage as a prince of Greece and Denmark.