The QUEEN'S BEASTS: Brilliant Ferocity

Ten six-foot tall statues, by sculptor James Woodford RA, OBE, formed an honor guard at the entrance to Westminster Abbey for the June 1953 coronation of Elizabeth II.

- L.A. SOKOLOWSKI

Each full-color figure consisted of a heraldic beast supporting a shield bearing the badge or arms of a family associated with the ancestry of the soon-to-be Queen.

For the first televised coronation in 900 years of British history, the statues that became known as The Queen’s Beasts were a great visual. One can only imagine the effect their fierce countenances had on those in attendance that day, including a nine-year-old Westminster Abbey choirboy (and future Rolling Stones guitarist) named Keith Richards, and a 23-year-old photojournalist from Washington (and future First Lady) named Jacqueline Bouvier.

REPRESENTING HISTORY 

The ten ancestral figures represent British monarchy from Edward III (1327-1377) to George I (1714-1727), and were inspired by preceding statues — called, none too surprisingly, The King’s Beasts — created 400 years earlier for Henry VIII at Hampton Court Palace.

Each of The Queen’s Beasts has since found 21st-century life breathed into them by Royal Mint designer, Jody Clark, for a coveted series of contemporary coins recast by The Royal Mint.

“I’ve always been interested in fantastic beasts; you can ask my mum! I think most children love fairy tales and stories about lions, dragons and unicorns. They’ve got a timeless appeal,” Clark, the youngest designer to create a definitive coinage portrait of the late Queen, shared in Behind the Design on RoyalMint.com.

His magnum opus is a ‘completer coin’ capturing all ten royal guardians side-by-side in a single design.