For immediate release: 16 June 2011
Guernsey Stamps is delighted to announce the release today of six commemorative stamps to celebrate the 85th birthday of Her Majesty, The Queen, and the 90th birthday of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
The stamps look back at the life of Her Majesty and Prince Philip since the early years of their marriage through to celebrating the Queen's 80th Birthday at St Paul's Cathedral on 15 June 2006 (58p stamp).
The earliest image (36p stamp) depicts the Royal couple completing their tour of West Riding in Yorkshire with a visit to the city of York on 29 July 1949; and the 45p stamp shows them near the King George IV Gateway at Windsor Castle, an official residence of Her Majesty, on 6 June 1959.
Other images include The Queen and Prince Philip at Balmoral on 1 June 1972 (48p stamp) and attending the Silver Jubilee Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London on 7 June 1977, where they are seen kneeling in prayer (52p stamp).
Completing the collection is the 65p stamp, which depicts The Queen and Prince Philip attending the Sikh Temple Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Hounslow, London, on 15 October 2004, where they met Sikh war veterans and elders.
Dawn Gallienne, head of philatelic at Guernsey Stamps said: - "As with previous royal weddings, we have chosen to celebrate this royal occasion by featuring a set of images which we feel have particularly natural qualities. Reflecting this, we used two colours in the printing process rather than the usual four colour print effect, which gives the stamps a more traditional feel."
Guernsey Stamps has also produced a Presentation Pack (£3.94) and First Day Cover (£4.24) which, together with the stamps, are available to order online at www.guernseystamps.com or by contacting Philatelic Customer Services on +44 (0)1481 716486.
-End release-
Press enquiries to:
Sarah Amies, pr consultant, 01484 687040/07811 133973
Dawn Gallienne, head of philatelic, 01481 733524
Notes to editors:
The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on either the first, second or third Saturday in June when the weather is likely to be better.
On her official birthday, Her Majesty is joined by other members of the Royal Family, invited guests and members of the public to watch Trooping the Colour, which moves between Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Horseguards' Parade. A long standing tradition dating back to at least the early 18th century, this remarkable parade is carried out by fully trained and operational troops from the Household Division comprising Foot Guards and Household Cavalry.
The Queen's actual birthday is usually a private affair, although the occasion is marked publicly by gun salutes in London at midday: a 41 gun salute in Hyde Park, a 21 gun salute in Windsor Great Park and a 62 gun salute at the Tower of London.
Specifications:-
Date of issue: 2 June 2011
Designer: The Potting Shed
Printer: Joh Enschede
Values: 36p, 45p, 48p, 52p, 58p, 65p
Process: Offset lithography
Stamp Size: 45mm deep x 30.45mm wide
Paper: 110gsm unwatermarked PVA adhesive
Sheet: 10
Perforation: 13.25 x 13.75
Cylinder: A
-Ends-