Despatched! Royal Mail produces new stamps to honour royals – including Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey – who were executed in the Tower of London

They passed through the forbidding gates of the Tower of London and were either executed or murdered within its walls.

Anne Boleyn, Lady Jane Grey and the boy Princes Edward and Richard were all victims in the castle’s long history.

And now a set stamps is being issued marking their place in the story of the mighty fortress by the Thames.

Prince Edward and his brother Richard – who were 12 and nine years old when they were supposedly murdered on the order of their uncle Richard III in 1483 – feature on one stamp.

Three more feature Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII’s second wife executed in 1536, Lady Jane Grey, the ‘Nine Days’ Queen’ executed at the age of 17 in 1554, and explorer and statesman Sir Walter Raleigh, imprisoned in the Tower and executed at Westminster in 1618 after falling out of favour with James I.

Lady Jane Grey, the ‘Nine Days’ Queen’ executed at the age of 17 in 1554, also features

Prince Edward and his brother Richard – who were 12 and nine years old when they were supposedly murdered on the order of their uncle Richard III in 1483 – feature on one stamp

Explorer and statesman Sir Walter Raleigh, imprisoned in the Tower and executed at Westminster in 1618 after falling out of favour with James I

The special commemorative stamps are being released next week

The commemorative stamps tell the story of the mighty fortress by the Thames – and its resident prisoners over the centuries

Four other stamps show different parts of the building – The White Tower, Tower Green and The King’s House, St John’s Chapel and Traitors’ Gate, while two more feature Yeoman Warders and one of the Tower’s ravens.

Royal Mail has partnered with Historic Royal Palaces to produce the ten stamps, which are released next week. 

David Gold of Royal Mail said: ‘Over the centuries the Tower has played many different roles – from impenetrable fortress to royal residence, menagerie of exotic animals to place of execution, Royal Mint to home of the Crown Jewels.

‘These stamps celebrate the myth and legend, ceremony and tradition of one of the most famous buildings in the world.’

The release of the stamps is timely – the Mail has launched its history podcast series Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things.

Royal Mail has been producing  British commemorative stamps for just over 100 years.

Four other stamps show different parts of the building – in this instance The White Tower

Historic venue: This stamp shows the surroundings at the Tower of London

One of the stamps shows the famous entry point into the castle for the royal prisoners

The stamps feature the history, buildings and traditions of the capital’s famous landmark

The beloved Yeoman Warders are also the subject of one of the stamps in the special set

One of the most recognisable symbols of the Tower of London – a black raven

In April, new stamps were issued to mark the milestone centenary of special sets with a selection of previously issued commemorative stamps through the decades.

The first, which were created in 1924, commemorated the opening of the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park in London. 

Since then, the special stamp sets have featured everything from historical events to pop culture to sports, royalty, literature, film and television and music.