Royal Mint plant for striking. This first phase of the mint was officially opened on 17 December 1968 by the royal attendance of Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and their son Prince Charles. Originally there were fears that the Royal family would face protests because of the Investiture of Prince Charles as the Prince of Wales; however, such protests failed to materialise. The second phase of construction began in 1973 and included the addition of a means to mint coins from virgin metals completing the full minting process. Upon completion the final cost for the land, buildings and plant came to £8
Royal Mint alongside those of other nations until 1858 when London started producing coins for the newly established Canadian dollar. As Canada developed, in 1890 calls were made for a mint to be built in Ottawa to facilitate the country's gold mines. The new mint opened on 2 January 1908 by Lord Grey producing coins for circulation including Ottawa Mint sovereigns. In 1931 under the Statute of Westminster, the mint came under the control on the Government of Canada and subsequently renamed the Royal Canadian Mint.A fifth branch of the Royal Mint was established in Mumbai (Bombay), India on 21 December 1917