Striking portraits of HM The Queen over 70 years

We’ve become familiar with the image of Queen Elizabeth II, from the coins in our pockets to the photographs in daily media. But how did the story of her official image start and develop?
 
This event celebrates Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, for which the British Museum is putting on a new display, Mary Gillick: modelling The Queen’s portrait (2 June – 3 July). Mary Gillick OBE (1881–1965), was a sculptor famous for making the image of The Queen used on coinage in the UK and elsewhere from 1953 to decimalisation and beyond. The Queen sat for Gillick in the sculptor’s studio, with Prince Philip closely supervising.
 
In this discussion, the show’s curator Philip Attwood is joined by Dr Kevin Clancy, Director of the Royal Mint Museum, and Alessandro Nasini of the Royal Collection Trust, to consider how this image of The Queen was designed and struck in coinage. They’ll also explore how it fits in with the development of The Queen’s image over her 70-year reign, especially through photography.