Royal Mail issues special stamps in memory of Queen Elizabeth II

Royal Mail today revealed images of four new stamps being issued in memory of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

All four stamp images were released in the Golden Jubilee stamp issue in 2002.

As with all stamps released during Her Majesty’s reign, they were approved by her for issue in 2002.

This is the first set of stamps approved by His Majesty King Charles III.

The images feature Her Majesty through the years:

• 2nd class – photograph taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1952. To mark her accession and coronation, Her Majesty the Queen posed for Wilding 59 times, wearing evening gowns designed by Norman Hartnell.
• 1st class – photograph by Cecil Beaton – 1968. The Queen is pictured standing in her admiral’s cloak with her head tilted to the left. Cecil Beaton took this stark, simple and direct image of HM The Queen for use in his first major retrospective at the National Portrait Gallery in London. He hoped that the final section of the exhibition would be the highlight and therefore wanted to ‘try something different’ when photographing HM The Queen. There are no familiar regal trappings such as tiaras, jewels or lavish interiors, but despite this simple approach, HM The Queen remains instantly recognisable.
• £1.85 – portrait of HM The Queen taken in November 1984 by Yousuf Karsh.
• £2.55 – photograph of HM The Queen taken in 1996 whilst she attended a banquet at Prague Castle during her visit to the Czech Republic. It was taken by Tim Graham.

Simon Thompson, CEO, Royal Mail said: “For the past seventy years every British stamp has been personally approved by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.”

“Today we are unveiling these stamps, the first to be approved by His Majesty The King, in tribute to a woman whose commitment to public service and duty was unparalleled in the history of this country.”

“None of the stamps in the issue include the silhouette of The Queen normally required on Special Stamps. ”

“This is because The Queen’s image is used in the design of the stamp, therefore removing the need for the silhouette to denote the country of origin.”

The stamps will go on general sale from 10 November 2022.