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 bars and clasps for war medals in the country and was making campaign medals such as the New Zealand Medal, the Abyssinian War Medal and the Ashantee Medal. At the start of the First World War, military medals were manufactured by the Woolwich Arsenal and private contractors, however in 1922 a new medal unit created by the mint became the sole manufacturer of all Royal and State medals and decorations in metal, except the Victoria Cross which is made by Hancocks & Co. Prior to 2010, all British military medals were made by the mint however now must compete with