Queen’s image on Australian commemorative coins likened to Shrek

Two Australian coins commemorating Queen Elizabeth II have been criticised for failing to resemble the late monarch.The $5 (£2.56) and 50c (26p) silver coins, created by Royal Australian Mint to commemorate the centenary of the queen’s birth, were released in an online ballot that closed on Wednesday.Collectors on social media debated whether the late queen’s portrait is regal or more like a character from a film or TV series, with Mrs Doubtfire, played by Robin Williams in the eponymous 1990s film, Mrs Brown played by Brendan O’Carroll in the Irish sitcom Mrs Brown’s Boys, and the cartoon character Shrek cited as closer comparisons.The Royal Australian Mint defended the portrait, saying: “Our coin images don’t always capture the full beauty of a design once it’s etched in metal.”The coin’s design features a front-facing portrait of the queen, who died at the age of 96 in 2022, surrounded by symbols of her life and passions, including horses, corgis, theatre, art, and her favourite flowers, roses and lily of the valley.One collector commented underneath a Facebook post from the mint: “Doesn’t even look remotely like her.”Another joked: “Is this what happens when the queen is not around to approve the design?”Others were more positive about the image, which was created by one of the mint’s artists, describing it as “awesome” and “beautiful”.Australian media reported that the Royal Australian Mint said silver proof coins had sold out and there were limited stocks left in their contact centre and shop. According to the mint’s website, it created 30,000 of the 50c coins and 5,000 of the $5 pieces, all of which are collector’s items and will not enter general public circulation.The backs of the coins feature a portrait of the queen’s son, King Charles, in profile.