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QUEEN Elizabeth II’s side profile has featured on our postage stamps for the past 70 years – but this is now a thing of the past.
Following Her Majesty’s death on September 22, 2022, her son Charles immediately succeeded her as King.
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The Queen reigned from 1952, so most people will only remember seeing the Queen’s face on a letter.
But the design has already been replaced now that King Charles III has ascended the throne.
Here’s everything you need to know about the new stamps.
How can I get Royal Mails’ King Charles stamps?
You can purchase stamps on the Royal Mail website, in your local Post Office, at supermarkets or selected off-licenses.
Royal Mail charges different postage prices depending on the size or weight of the item.
The stamps can be bought individually if you buy it at a Post Office counter.
Otherwise, you can typically buy them in sets of multiple stamps.
The new stamps went on sale on April 4.
First class stamps are more expensive than second class, as they will get your letter to its destination faster.
The cost of a first class stamp is now £1.10 for a standard letter.
A book of eight first class stamps costs £8.80 from Royal Mail.
A second class stamp for a standard letter costs 75p.
You can also get them in a book of eight for £6.
What do King Charles III’s stamps look like?
The image of King Charles III used on standard Royal Mail stamps is an adapted version of the portrait created by Martin Jennings for the obverse of the new Royal Mint coinage.
The profile of the new monarch faces to the left.
The colours of all four stamp values remain the same for King Charles III as they did for Queen Elizabeth II.
First class stamps are plum purple and large first class stamps are marine turquoise.
Second class stamps are holly green and large second class stamps are dark pine green.
Royal Mail recently introduced the first special stamp issue which contains the King’s silhouette in the top left hand corner.
The new 10-stamp set is a nod to the monarch’s love of gardening and celebrates the nation’s favourite flowers.
Why does King Charles have no crown on his stamps?
It’s tradition for only a Queen to wear crowns or royal regalia on coins and notes.
Kings don’t usually wear a crown on coins or stamps.
However, King George VI, the last male monarch did have a crown featured in his stamp design – however, he wasn’t depicted as wearing it.
Why is King Charles facing left on his stamps?
Protocol stipulates that every new monarch minted to coins has to have a profile that’s faced in the opposite direction of their predecessor.
But this rule doesn’t apply to stamps as they have always featured the Monarch facing left.
This has been the case since coins were first produced and distributed during the rain of Queen Victoria.
How can I get a Coronation stamp?
On Saturday, May 6 – the day of His Majesty’s Coronation, Royal Mail will release four new stamps to mark the occasion.
The stamps are based on newly commissioned wood engravings by the artist Andrew Davidson and feature images highlighting the Coronation, sustainability, biodiversity and the Commonwealth.
It’s the third time that Royal Mail has issued stamps to mark a Coronation after King George VI’s ceremony in 1937 and the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
The stamps can be purchased on the Royal Mail website and come as a presentation pack which costs £7.50.
Are Queen Elizabeth II stamps worth anything?
Collectors with rare Queen Elizabeth II stamps could see the value of their stamps rise in the next couple of years.
Those with errors will continue to be worth £1,000 at auction.
But it’s unclear how much regular everyday stamps containing the Queen’s final profile will cost while they’re still able to be used to send post.
