Queen to appear on UK postage stamps

A different kind of Queen is set to grace Royal Mail stamps as a new collection featuring the iconic British rock band will be released later in the summer, 50 years after the group first formed.

They are the third band to be honoured by the Royal Mail after the Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016.

Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon will feature over 13 designs which include a group shot, covers of albums Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera, News of the World, The Game, Greatest Hits, The Works, and Innuendo as well as a live image of each member.

Read more: Brian May left ‘crawling around the house on his hands and knees’

“It’s hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps,” guitarist May shared in a statement.

“Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true. Sometimes it’s strange to wake up and realise the position in which we are now held – we have become a national institution!

“Nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from Royal Mail. It’s particularly poignant to look at this collection of images now – now that we are all in a world dominated by a coronavirus, in which none of this could have happened.”

Meanwhile, drummer Taylor dubbed the collection “an honour”.

The special edition stamps will be available from 9 July, and can be pre-ordered from the Royal Mail website.