Special stamps in memory of Queen released by Royal Mail next month

27 September 2022, 11:46 | Updated: 27 September 2022, 11:56

Four commemorative stamps featuring portraits of Queen Elizabeth II are being released by Royal Mail.

Four commemorative stamps featuring portraits of The Queen at different points of her reign are being released by Royal Mail.

The collection pictures the late monarch during the first year of her reign in 1952 all the way through to the 1990s.

Featured on a second class stamp, the oldest photograph was taken by Dorothy Wilding to mark the Queen’s accession and coronation.

The second was taken by Cecil Beaton in 1968 and sees the monarch standing in her admiral’s cloak with her head tilted to the left.

A portrait taken by Yousuf Karsh in 1984 will appear on £1.85 stamps, and another captured by Tim Graham in 1996 will be on the £2.55 stamps.

This one sees the Queen attending a banquet at Prague Castle during her visit to the Czech Republic.

A presentation pack of all four stamps will be sold for £6.95 and will be available to pre-order on the Royal Mail’s website.

Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: “For the past 70 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.”

The King’s image will now replace the Queen on all new 1st and 2nd Class stamps.

The Royal Mail said: “In line with guidance from the Royal Household, to minimise the environmental and financial impact of the change of monarch, existing stocks of definitive stamps that feature the late Queen and the special stamps which use her silhouette, will be distributed and issued as planned.

“The launch dates of some of the special stamps may change.”