SHARE
COPY LINK

KING

Experts reveal ‘whorer’ king coin mystery

Experts investigating the fake one krona coins which defame Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf have revealed the complex secrets behind the counterfeit change.

Experts reveal 'whorer' king coin mystery

In June this year, a number of coins were discovered in circulation in Sweden with an altered text.

Instead of the usual “Carl XVI Gustaf Sveriges Konung” (‘Carl XVI Gustaf Sweden’s King’), the text written around the image of the King’s head on each coin read “Vår horkarl till Kung”, which translates roughly into English as “Our whorer of a King”.

On the flip side, the coins were normal and seemingly untouched. Experts have explained that the forgery seems professionally done.

“Whoever made it is clearly skilled,” explained Ian Wiséhn at Sweden’s Royal Coin Cabinet (Myntkabinettet) to the Svenska Dagbladet newspaper (SvD).

“The back is very well made. And the grooves on the side are also as they should be, you can’t see any difference.”

Now, the experts have revealed that the coins themselves are not fake – rather, “half fake”.

Specialist equipment has been used to hollow out one whole side of the coin all the way out to the edges, removing the image of the king’s face, SvD reported.

In the hollowed out space remaining, the forgers have inserted their own pre-cut image of the king together with the new libelous text, glued it into place, and sharpened the grooves.

The intricate handiwork is impossible to discern with the naked eye, and each fake coins weighs only 0.47 grammes more than a real 7 gramme coin.

Experts claim to be “one hundred percent sure” that this is the method the counterfeiters used.

The investigation into the counterfeit money has not yielded any results as to the identity of the forgers or their whereabouts.

TT/The Local/og

twitter.com/thelocalsweden

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

KING

Row in Spain over reports King Felipe’s sisters got Covid vaccine in the UAE

Reports that Spanish King Felipe VI's sisters got vaccinated for the coronavirus in the UAE sparked controversy Wednesday, with hard left party Podemos, part of the ruling coalition, saying such "privileges" served to "discredit" the monarchy.

Row in Spain over reports King Felipe's sisters got Covid vaccine in the UAE
Spain's Royal Family - Princesses Elena and Cristina are directly next to King Felipe's right (in the blue suit). Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP

According to El Mundo and El Confidencial, Princess Elena, 57, and Princess Cristina, 55, got the inoculations in February while visiting their father, ex-king Juan Carlos, in Abu Dhabi.

The two royals would not yet qualify for the jab under Spain’s Covid-19 immunisation programme, which gives priority to older people and the most vulnerable.

Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014, moved to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in August amid growing questions over his financial dealings.

A spokesman for the royal palace refused to comment on the reports on the grounds that the princesses are formally “not part” of the institution and the palace has no say in their activities.

Podemos, the junior partner in Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority coalition government which is staunchly anti-monarchy, strongly criticised the royals.

“The vaccination of the princesses is more news which contributes to discrediting the monarchy. For the public, this constitutes preferential treatment and privileges,” Equality Minister Irene Montero, a member of Podemos, told public television TVE.

The monarchy is one of several issues which dividing Podemos and the Socialists, which have governed since January 2020.

It is the first time that an anti-monarchy party has been in power since Spain returned to democracy in the 1970s.

The controversy over the vaccinations comes less than a week after Juan Carlos settled a debt of nearly 4.4 million euros ($5.3 million) with the

Spanish tax authorities in a bid to avoid a potential lawsuit. The back-taxes were due on the previously undeclared value of private jet flights — worth eight million euros, according to press reports — paid by a foundation based in Liechtenstein belonging to a distant cousin of Juan Carlos.

The payment caused outrage in Spain, with Sanchez saying he shared the “rejection” which the “majority” of Spaniards feel towards what he called Juan Carlos’ “uncivic behaviour”.

The country’s former intelligence chief, Felix Sanz Roldan, also received the coronavirus vaccine in Abu Dhabi duri

ng a visit to Juan Carlos, according to Spanish media reports.

Spain’s chief of defence staff resigned in January after it was revealed that he got the coronavirus jab in Spain despite not being on a priority list.

SHOW COMMENTS