PRESS RELEASE : Coronation Medal to go to Armed Forces and frontline emergency service workers [May 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 5 May 2023.

Members of the Armed Forces, frontline emergency service workers and people actively contributing to The King’s Coronation will be among the 400,000 people to receive a Coronation Medal, the design of which is unveiled today.

• Culture Secretary unveils design of Medal to mark Coronation of Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort
• Medal will be given to Armed Forces, frontline emergency service workers and those taking part in the Coronation
• Medals, made of nickel silver and plated in nickel, feature image of The King and Queen Camilla

The Medal acts as a thank you gift from the nation to commemorate the Coronation for the people who will make the historic service happen.

Everyone actively contributing and supporting the Coronation on 6 May – including choristers, police officers, military personnel and St John Ambulance personnel – as well as those directly involved in the delivery of the Coronation are eligible.

It will also be given to serving frontline members of the police, fire, emergency services, prison services and armed forces that have completed five full calendar years of service. It is expected that more than 400,000 Coronation Medals will be issued.

The design features a double portrait of Their Majesties on the front and a version of the Royal Cypher, a laurel wreath and the date of the Coronation on the reverse.

The ribbon is made up of red, blue and white vertical stripes – the colours of the Union Flag and are made of nickel silver and plated in nickel.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

The Coronation Medal will act as a reminder of the important part each person has played in this moment of history. From our Armed Forces who protect our country to the emergency services who care for us at home, alongside those volunteers who are giving up their time to make this event so special, I am delighted that we can mark their contribution to this special day, and for each and every day that they go above and beyond serving their country.

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said:

The Coronation would not be possible without the dedication and selfless service shown by our armed forces and other public servants. This Medal is a fitting recognition of their efforts, and a thank you from the nation. It will be worn with pride for years to come.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

This Medal is a symbol of the critical role our emergency services will play in this potentially once in a lifetime opportunity to honour our new King. However, it rightly also goes further and recognises not just those who are helping at the Coronation, but the heroes across our emergency services, such as the police, fire and rescue services, that go to work every day to protect and support us all.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

Our Armed Forces and the Monarch have a unique bond. Our histories and customs mirror the reigns of Kings and Queens. Our deployments are in their names and our allegiance is sworn by each and every one of us. The Coronation Medal will celebrate that bond and allow huge numbers of service personnel to reaffirm that linkage as King Charles is crowned our new Monarch.

The double portrait of The King and Queen Consort on the front of the newly unveiled Coronation Medal was designed by Martin Jennings who also designed the official effigy of The King for the new coins issued by the Royal Mint. The Medal is made by Worcestershire Medal Service Ltd in Birmingham.

Those who will receive the Medal for the Coronation of Their Majesties The King and Queen Consort are:

• Individuals who have actively contributed to the official Coronation events in Westminster Abbey and processions, and other officially recognised ceremonial Coronation events;
• Serving members of the Armed Forces who have completed five full calendar years of service on 6 May 2023 or participate in Armed Forces Coronation events during the course of 2023;
• Frontline emergency personnel who have been in paid service, retained or in a voluntary capacity, dealing with emergencies as part of their conditions of service, and completed five full calendar years of service on 6 May 2023;
• Prison services personnel who are publicly employed and who have completed five full calendar years of service on 6 May 2023;
• Living individual recipients of the George Cross or of the Victoria Cross.

The tradition of Coronation Medals dates to the reign of King James I when the first Medal was awarded in 1603. This Medal featured a bust of James I wearing the costume of a Roman Emperor. Its reverse included a crowned lion rampant holding a beacon and a wheat sheaf.