By Molly Claire Goddard
2:47pm PST, Feb 16, 2026
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The Royal Australian Mint issued two $5.50 coins to honor Queen Elizabeth II. The tokens — drawn by artist Alex Stokic — were produced to celebrate 100 years since the birth of the late monarch in 1926.
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Unfortunately, many people weren't fans of the tribute to Queen Elizabeth II. Royal expert
Richard Fitzwilliams told
Daily Express that the drawing of Her Majesty is "grotesque" and makes her look like "the Wicked Witch of the West." The journalist added, "If the Queen had resembled his monstrosity, Australia would have been a republic years ago."
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Social media users also condemned the picture of Queen Elizabeth II. "If I saw that face without the hairdo and pearls, would never guess who it was meant to be," one Facebook user wrote via
Daily Express.
"Who's the woman? Like honestly. Looks nothing like her", while another questioned whether it was "a stitch up?" a second commented.
"There's a reason most portraits are from the side. Looks like she just ran into a wall," a third chimed in.
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In response to the backlash, the Royal Australian Mint issued a response. "Our coin images don't always capture the full beauty of a design once it's etched in metal," they said in a statement via
BBC.
