A primary-class honour! Late Queen’s a hundredth birthday to be celebrated with 12 stamps
The late Queen’s 100th birthday will be marked by a dozen new Royal Mail stamps – with each featuring its own iconic milestone moment.
The Royal Mail has said it hopes to ‘pay tribute’ to the monarch – whose commitment to duty was ‘unparalleled in history’.
A main set of eight stamps will feature photographs from memories in Queen Elizabeth II’s life, from delivering her first radio broadcast in 1940 aged 14 to her 1953 coronation balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace.
And her love of horses and dogs has also not gone unrepresented – as four other stamps, in a miniature sheet, show her at stages in her life with pets or thoroughbreds.
A presentation pack including all 12 stamps costs £22.50.
David Gold, the Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, said: ‘With these special stamps, we pay tribute to the late Queen, whose commitment to duty was unparalleled in history.
‘The stamps tell the remarkable story of a very public life of dedicated service, and a more private passion for dogs and horses, about which Her Majesty was a renowned expert.’
The late Queen was an ever-present feature on British stamps during her 70-year reign with her image well-known to the public and her likeness also used on stamps marking royal events and anniversaries.
One of the eight main stamps can be seen here – featuring scenes from the late Queen’s Coronation
Queen Elizabeth II is pictured as a young girl doting on one of her beloved pets in London in 1936
Another stamp depicts a charming family scene, with the Queen petting dogs alongside her parents and sister
Queen Elizabeth II is seen as a young woman. The stamps will be released to mark would would have been the late monarch’s 100th birthday
The Queen is pictured in 1951 in Balmoral alongside another beloved animal
The stamps are replete with iconic scenes from the Queen’s life – doing what she loved most
The Queen is seen here in Sandiringham in 1964 with a pet horse, which she looks upon fondly
The collection also depicts the Queen in middle age, carrying out her duties as required
The Royal Mail has said it hopes to ‘pay tribute’ to the monarch – whose commitment to duty was ‘unparalleled in history’
The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order from April 14 from the Royal Mail website. The late Queen is pictured here in Windsor in 1997
The late Queen’s life will also be remembered during a series of royal events held around her birthday
Other members of the Royal family feature in some of the stamps – with the Queen seen walking here with Charles III, Queen Camilla and Prince William and the Princess of Wales in the background
Elizabeth II died peacefully at her Balmoral home aged 96 on September 8 2022, after serving as sovereign for 70 years – the nation’s longest-reigning monarch – and was mourned by her family and friends and remembered by the nation.
For the woman who was never meant to be sovereign, the Queen fulfilled her pledge to serve the nation and Commonwealth and came to earn the respect of many – from world leaders to the public.
The late Queen’s life will be remembered during a series of royal events held around her birthday – April 21 – the date she would have turned 100.
King Charles has reportedly written a speech that will commemorate the 70-year reign of his mother and highlight her legacy and service.
The stamps, and a range of collectible products, are available to pre-order from April 14 from the Royal Mail website before going on general sale from April 21.
