The Royal Mint and P&O Cruises commemorate launch of two iconic Britannias
The Royal Mint and P&O Cruises have commemorated the launch of two iconic ‘Britannias’ in 2015 – a new United Kingdom £2 coin and the cruise ship Britannia. <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
The Royal Mint revealed that the iconic figure of Britannia will return to rule over the United Kingdom’s circulating coins in the same week that P&O Cruises launched its new cruise ship Britannia.
To commemorate these two momentous occasions Shane Bissett, The Royal Mint’s Director of Commemorative Coin and Medals presented Captain Paul Brown of P&O Cruises with a special edition of the £2 Britannia coin to display on board the cruise ship Britannia.
The new depiction of Britannia will be struck on the UK’s definitive circulating £2 and begin to enter circulation at some stage during 2015.
Speaking at the launch of the new £2 Britannia, the Prime Minister David Cameron said: “It is great to see Britannia’s welcome return to our currency. Making her first appearance on our coins in the 17th Century, Britannia is an enduring symbol of our national identity, ideal to help reinforce the strong sense of shared purpose and history for modern Britons.”
Shane Bissett, The Royal Mint’s Director of Commemorative Coin and Medals, said: “The instantly recognisable figure of Britannia has a long, enduring history which has evolved and changed in keeping with the nation which she represents. She has come to stand as a symbol of renewed optimism for our country, and has a rightful place on the currency of the United Kingdom.
“The birth of two such iconic Britannias almost simultaneously is an important event which The Royal Mint and P&O Cruises wanted to mark in an appropriate manner. It gives me great pleasure to visit our coin’s namesake, and it is an honour to have the opportunity to commemorate the launch of the cruise ship Britannia.”
Captain Paul Brown said: “It is a great honour to receive this special commemorative coin and very fitting that we are on board Britannia, which is "the nation's ship". The name Britannia has great historical resonance with P&O Cruises long and famous heritage and, most importantly, both the ship and new £2 coin pay homage to our past and celebrate the forward-looking Britain of today and the future.”
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For press pictures: http://www.pocruisespresspictures.com/
Britannia
Britannia is the biggest ship built for the British cruise market and offers a sophisticated, contemporary holiday experience across health and beauty, shopping and entertainment with a strong focus on dining.
Special features include The Cookery Club, a 24 person state-of-the-art cookery school developed in association with James Martin; a three-tier feature atrium with Eric Lanlard patisserie, a charcuterie and gelateria as well as spectacular Star Burst sculpture; Sindhu restaurant by Atul Kochhar and Olly Smith’s The Glass House; gala menus created by Marco Pierre White; plus The Limelight Club, a combined entertainment and dining venue in the great tradition of the supper club.
About P&O Cruises
P&O Cruises has a fleet of eight ships offering holidays tailored to British tastes combining genuine service, a sense of occasion and attention to detail, ensuring passengers have the holiday of a lifetime, every time. Azura was launched in April 2010 – officially named by Godmother Darcey Bussell CBE. Small ship Adonia was added to the fleet in May 2011, named by Dame Shirley Bassey, DBE and Britannia was added to the fleet in March 2015, named by Her Majesty The Queen.
For further press information please contact:
Michele Andjel, michele.andjel@carnivalukgroup.com 023 8065 6653 / 07730 732 072
Jennifer Humm, jennifer.humm@carnivalukgroup.com 023 8065 6652 / 07730 732 065
Jenny Hadley, jenny.hadley@pocruises.com 023 8065 6650 / 07825 120 088
About The Royal Mint
The Royal Mint has an unbroken history of minting British coinage dating back over 1,000 years. By the late thirteenth century the organisation was based in the Tower of London, and remained there for over 500 years. By 1812 The Royal Mint had moved out of the Tower to premises on London’s Tower Hill. In 1967 the building of a new Royal Mint began on its current site in South Wales, UK.
While The Royal Mint’s finest traditions are always respected, it continually innovates in order to stay at the forefront of world minting, embracing the latest production techniques and technology in order to offer excellence to our clients across the globe. By underpinning our proud heritage with a highly progressive outlook, The Royal Mint produces coins that remain a byword for trust and reliability the world over.
There were estimated to be 28.9 billion UK coins in circulation at 31 March 2014 ,with a total face value of over £4 billion, all manufactured by The Royal Mint. In total, nearly 2 billion UK coins were issued during 2013-14.
As well as over 1,000 years of producing British coinage, The Royal Mint has long been trusted with the currencies of other countries. It has served more than 100 issuing authorities around the world and currently meets approximately 15% of global demand, making us the world’s leading export mint.
The Royal Mint has been making official military campaign medals since it was commissioned to make awards for soldiers who fought in the battle of Waterloo in 1815. The year 2012 was of particular significance for The Royal Mint’s medal-making team, with the manufacture of all 4,700 Victory Medals for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The Royal Mint has recently introduced a new fineness of Britannia bullion coins and a highly-secure on-site bullion vault storage facility, building on the gold Sovereign’s long-standing reputation for integrity, accuracy. This positions The Royal Mint and its bullion products as a premium proposition in this marketplace.
In September 2014, The Royal Mint launched a new bullion trading website, www.royalmintbullion.com, enabling customers to buy, store and sell bullion coins at constantly updated prices directly from The Royal Mint quickly, effortlessly and securely, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
In January 2015, The Royal Mint announced the revival of The Royal Mint Refinery bullion brand offering gold and silver minted bars bearing the historic Royal Mint Refinery marque on www.royalmintbullion.com – the first time since 1968 that they had been available direct to the public from The Royal Mint.
In April 2014, The Royal Mint unveiled plans to develop a purpose-built visitor centre at its headquarters in Llantrisant, South Wales. Construction is expected to be completed during 2016.
Media enquiries to The Royal Mint Press Office on 0845 600 5018 or press.office@royalmint.com
