Australia’s royal mint has defended a widely-lampooned image of the late Queen Elizabeth II on new commemorative coins celebrating her life. The 50 cent and $5 Australian coins were revealed by the mint this week, featuring a front-facing effigy of the queen to celebrate her reign, 100 years after her birth. However, the queen’s image, which the Royal Australian Mint described as a “stunning portrait rendered with warmth and dignity,” evoked widespread memes and comments on social media. “No, stop don’t release it, melt them all and get at proper portrait of the queen, not a screen shot of Mrs. Doubtfire,” said one Facebook user, comparing the portrait to the character played by Robin Williams in the 1993 film. “There’s a reason most portraits are from the side; looks like she just ran into a wall,” said another. Queen Elizabeth, who died in 2022, reigned for more than 70 years and had strong ties with Australia, which has the British monarch as its head of state. The Australian Mint posted an explanation of the coins’ details, including motifs celebrating the late monarch’s love of horses and corgi dogs. “Our coin images don’t always capture the full beauty of a design once it’s etched in metal,” it conceded.
