The 2026 Tudor Beast Royal Dragon 1oz Gold Coin is the ninth release in The Royal Tudor Beasts bullion collection, struck in one troy ounce of 999.9 fine gold with King Charles III on the obverse. As UK legal tender with a £100 face value, it is exempt from Capital Gains Tax for UK residents and VAT-exempt as investment gold.

The 2026 Tudor Beast Royal Dragon 1oz Gold Coin design

Ten stone beasts line the Moat Bridge at Hampton Court Palace, carved to celebrate Henry VIII’s marriage to Jane Seymour and to display the royal ancestry behind the Tudor dynasty. They are the inspiration for the Royal Mint’s Royal Tudor Beasts bullion collection, a ten-coin series designed by David Lawrence.

David Lawrence’s Royal Dragon spreads its wings across the reverse with its shield, on a Tudor-inspired background enhanced with surface animation.

The second dragon of the collection

The Royal Dragon is the second dragon in the collection, distinct from the Tudor Dragon of 2024. Lawrence’s winged dragon holds a shield bearing the royal arms as used in Henry VIII’s reign, tying the beast to the king rather than to a family line. In the bullion sequence, the Royal Dragon is the ninth release; the Seymour Panther follows as the tenth and final beast to appear individually.

Five beasts each

The ten beasts on the Moat Bridge are evenly divided: five stand for Henry VIII and five for Jane Seymour, together presenting the ancestry behind his claim to the throne. The Royal Mint has issued them as a ten-coin bullion collection designed by David Lawrence.

2026 Tudor Beast Royal Dragon 1oz Gold Coin specifications

Why buy a 2026 Tudor Beast Royal Dragon 1oz Gold Coin?

The Royal Dragon brings the ten-beast collection close to completion, which gives it particular interest for anyone who has followed the series from the 2022 Lion of England.

It is a full ounce of 999.9 fine gold, CGT-exempt for UK residents and VAT-exempt as investment gold.

Why buy 1oz gold coins?

The one-ounce coin is the standard unit of the gold market. Because gold is priced per troy ounce, a 1oz coin’s metal value is simple to follow, and the larger size usually carries a lower premium per gram than fractional coins. Compared with a large bar, a holding of 1oz coins can still be sold a coin at a time, so you keep flexibility without paying fractional-coin premiums.

Frequently asked questions

How is the Royal Dragon different from the Tudor Dragon?

They are two separate beasts on the Moat Bridge with their own coins: the Tudor Dragon was issued in 2024 and the Royal Dragon in 2026.

Is the Royal Dragon the last coin in the series?

It is the tenth and final beast in the commemorative and proof collections. In bullion the final release is the 2026 Seymour Panther, because the two ran in a slightly different order.