Before the passing of his mother, Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022, His Majesty King Charles III was the longest-serving heir apparent in British history. In 1958, at the age of nine, he was created the Prince of Wales just six years after his mother acceded to the throne.

An Action-Packed Year

The year 1958 saw the United States enter the race for space exploration, as President Dwight D. Eisenhower had signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, which created NASA. The same year, Sputnik, the Earth’s first artificial satellite launched by the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in 1957, re-entered Earth’s atmosphere before burning up.

In the world of music and showbusiness, Elvis Presley, the king of rock ‘n’ roll, was drafted into the US Army. In addition, Gibson received a US patent for their ‘Flying V’ electric guitar model, one that would become an iconic symbol in rock music and used by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top and Dave Davies of the Kinks. 

In sport, the 1958 Football World Cup saw Wales suffer heartbreak in the tournament’s quarter-final, where they lost 1–0 to Brazil through a goal scored by one Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known by his nickname ‘Pelé’. Wales also hosted the British Empire and Commonwealth Games at Cardiff Arms Park in its capital city, during which an unexpected announcement was broadcast during the closing ceremony.

The Beginning of a Royal Legacy

Whilst boarding at Cheam School in Berkshire, His Majesty King Charles III, along with the rest of the nation, watched as his mother, Elizabeth II, marked the conclusion of the Empire Games by announcing that her first-born son would be created the Prince of Wales.

His Majesty The King held this title for more than 64 years, the longest in British royal history, and during this time became an ardent campaigner on environmental issues, established The Prince’s Trust and championed the arts, including traditional craft and heritage skills.

The Prince’s Trust, which was founded in 1976 and is now known as The King’s Trust, aims to improve the lives of disadvantaged young people in the UK. Since its inception, it has helped more than a million young people through a mix of courses and programmes designed to aid education and personal development, as well as offering awards that help remove financial barriers that may prevent young people from progressing in their work, education or training.

The 1958 Sovereign

The Sovereign has been intimately associated with British monarchs since its inception in 1489 when Henry VII demanded a ‘new money of gold’. Since 1817, every British monarch has graced the obverse of the modern Sovereign, rendering it a regal coin.

The 1958 Sovereign symbolises a pivotal moment in His Majesty’s royal legacy as it was struck during the year he was created the Prince of Wales. The reverse of the coin depicts Benedetto Pistrucci’s classic portrayal of St George and the dragon and the obverse features the first definitive coinage portrait of King Charles III’s mother, Elizabeth II, created by Mary Gillick.