The Duke of Cambridge's 40th birthday will be celebrated with a £ 5 coin featuring his portrait, the Royal Mint has announced.

The UK's official coin producer has unveiled the coin ahead of Prince William's milestone birthday on June 21.

It is the first time the Duke, who is second in line to the throne, will appear alone on an official UK coin struck by the Royal Mint.

The coin's depiction of Prince William appears to be based on a photo taken at the Queen's Birthday Party in June 2018, at the UK Ambassador's residence in Amman, Jordan.

The commemorative piece has been crafted by engraver Thomas T Docherty and shows the Duke in a three-quarter profile gazing up to the top right of the coin, with the number 40 to his left and his royal cypher "W" to his right.

Queen Elizabeth II's image, engraved by Jody Clark, will be struck on the other side of the coin.

There will also be an inscription on the edge reading: "HRH The Duke of Cambridge."

Prince William has previously only appeared on an official UK coin accompanied by the Duchess of Cambridge, issued in 2011 to commemorate the couple's marriage.

Mr Docherty said the coin's design "strikes a balance between the fresh energy of His Royal Highness being a young dad with the ceremonial nature of his royal position".

He added: "A three-quarter angle of the portrait creates a more dynamic portrait rather than a traditional side-on profile.

"I used certain clay sculpting techniques on a digital platform to achieve the style needed for the design, to translate effectively from two to three dimensions."

To read the complete article, see:
Prince William to appear on £ 5 coin to mark his 40th birthday(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/05/23/prince-william-will-appear-5-coin-mark-40th-birthday/)

It is the first time the Duke of Cambridge, who is second in line to the throne, will appear alone on an official coin struck by the Royal Mint.

But eyebrows have been raised among social media users over the portrait, with some saying the Royal Mint has been generous with the Prince's hairline.

One Twitter user wrote: 'The £ 5 coin to mark Prince William's 40th birthday has more hair than he does!'

Another Twitter user said: 'They must have used a very old photo for his image the coin, he hasn't had that much hair for many a year!'

They wrote: 'I love Prince William, but sorry, that coin looks more like Lord Voldemort before his hair loss.'

Meanwhile, royal author Phil Dampier told The Sun that William was likely to be 'pleased' with the coin as 'they've given him more hair'.

'He looks younger than 40 so he won't complain. He looks thoughtful but also like he's looking for inspiration, which he will need in coming decades.'

To read the complete article, see:
'Where did that thick mane come from!?' Social media users mock Royal Mint's £ 5 coin featuring 3D portrait of Prince William that appears to show full head of hair(https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10848625/Twitter-users-say-Royal-Mints-5-coin-featuring-Prince-William-hair-brushed.html)

"Did you give me hair?"

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
DON EVERHART AND THE DALAI LAMA(https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n18a23.html)