Royal Mail have announced a new collection of stamps to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year.
The new set features photographs of The Queen throughout her seven decades on the throne from the 1950s to the 2020s.
The earliest occasion featured on the stamps is from her 1957 tour of the United States with The Duke of Edinburgh. The most recent picture used on the stamps is from a visit to the MI5 headquarters in February 2020.
The Queen with The Duke of Edinburgh during a tour of the United States, Washington, October 1957. (Royal Mail)
In a break from tradition, the stamps in the new set do not include The Queen’s silhouette, which is usually a requirement for special stamp issues. You often see a small Queen’s head in the top right corner of such stamps.
Royal Mail, which marked 500 years of service in 2016, have confirmed that due to The Queen’s image already on the stamp, there is no need for the silhouette in this case.
Her Majesty’s impeccable fashion style is represented throughout the stamps, as one of the images sees The Queen wearing a 1960s style hat with a shift dress in the West Indies in 1966. She is also wearing the Australian Wattle brooch.
Simon Thompson, CEO, Royal Mail, said ‘these stamps are a celebration of the second Elizabethan Age and a tribute to a remarkable lifetime of duty and public service. We are honoured to be releasing them to mark the occasion of the first Platinum Jubilee in the UK’s history, a momentous occasion’.
The Queen during Trooping the Colour, London, June 1978, when she would ride in the parade on Burmese (Royal Mail)
The Queen on a walkabout in Worcester, April 1980. (Royal Mail)
The Queen is the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, and spent the day privately at her Norfolk estate. It was also her first Jubilee and Accession Day without her husband, Prince Philip, who passed away aged 99 last year.
In her message to the nation to mark Accession Day, and the start of her Platinum Jubilee, The Queen thanked people for their support during her reign. She said: “I remain eternally grateful for, and humbled by, the loyalty and affection that you continue to give me.”
The Queen also made it her ‘sincere wish’ for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort when Charles becomes king.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is set to be celebrated across the country during an extended Bank Holiday in June. There will also be the traditional Trooping the Colour celebration, the lighting of jubilee beacons, a Service of Thanksgiving, the Platinum Pageant and a concert.
The Queen at the Order of the Garter ceremony in Windsor, June 1999. (Royal Mail)
The Queen during a visit to the headquarters of MI5, London, February 2020. (Royal Mail)
A special logo has been chosen for the occasion, designed by a budding graphic design student, and can be seen on official graphics about the jubilee, now that 2022 has begun.
The medal to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee has also been revealed, which will be awarded to show the Monarch’s gratitude for their public service, include living individual recipients of the George Cross and Victoria Cross, as well as Members of the Royal Household with one year of qualifying service. We also expect to see Royals awarded this for their service to Her Majesty.
A new range of chinaware has additionally been unveiled by the Royal Collection Trust to celebrate. The design of the special set takes its inspiration from Her Majesty’s Robe of Estate, worn to her coronation on 2 June 1953. The designs are set against a deep purple background, and feature golden olive leaves and ears of wheat, symbolising peace and plenty. Products can be purchased online from the Royal Collection Trust website.
