The Royal Belgian Mint has issued a gold coin to mark the 50th birthday of Queen Mathilde. The unusual €12.5 euro coin will run for a limited edition of 2,500 pieces, each sold for €159.
For the first time, the portraits of Queen Mathilde and her husband Philippe appear on the same commemorative coin. One side of the coin shows Queen Mathilde in profile, with her monogram and the number '50' on the right; the initials of designer Iris Bruijns are featured below.
The other side shows the portrait of King Philippe, which sits beside the value of the coin and Belgium written in the nation's three official languages.
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Each year the Royal Belgian Mint issues a solid gold €12.5 coin. For the coming four years, these coins will all feature Belgium's royal family. The Royal Mint and Finance Minister Vincent Van Peteghem will use the initiative to thank the Queen for her unconditional service to Belgium, its people and the many social projects she has promoted.
In an interview given on the occasion of her 50th birthday, Mathilde called for greater investment in mental health support; the Queen consort is a speech therapist by training.
Between July and December last year, the Queen undertook a walking and cycling tour of the country’s ten provinces as well as the Brussels-Capital Region. Along the way, she was accompanied by people and organisations involved in mental health projects. A postage stamp was also issued to mark the occasion.
