The Queen’s Virtues coin series has been launched to celebrate the 95th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who holds these six virtues as dearly as her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria did.
The ‘Queen’s Virtues’ form part of the Victoria Memorial monument outside Buckingham Palace, which features sculptured allegorical figures that personify:
• Victory
• Truth
• Charity
• Justice
• Courage
• Constancy
A key virtue recognised in both Victoria’s and Elizabeth II’s reign, Victory holds a position at the very top of the Victoria Memorial monument.
In gilded bronze the Winged Victory stands upon a globe, holding a victor’s palm. The victor’s palm represents victory, triumph and peace, a symbol originating from the Middle East.
In ancient Roman religion, Victoria was a goddess personifying Victory, the Roman’s equivalent of the Greek goddess, Nike.