Queen Elizabeth II: Royal Mail releases special stamps in memory of Her Majesty

Royal Mail released four new stamps in memory of Britain’s longest reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

King Charles III approved the first images of portraits of Her Majesty at different points of her reign for the newly released commemorative stamps.

The new monarch took to the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth at the age of 96 on September 8.

The first and second class stamps feature pictures of Her Majesty from the first year of her period in office – in 1952 to the 1990s.

The first-class stamp has a photo of the Queen taken by royal photographer Cecil Beaton in 1968, where she is standing in her admiral's cloak at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

The second-class stamp features the picture of Her Majesty’s accession to the throne. The photo was taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1952.

The stamps, priced from £1.85, will be on sale from 10 November.

A picture taken in November 1984 by Yousuf Karsh will be featured on the £1.85 stamps. A photo by Tim Graham from 1996 taken during the Queen appearance at Prague Castle during her visit to the Czech Republic will appear on the £2.55 stamps.

A presentation pack of all four stamps will be £6.95.

The four pictures were released in the Golden Jubilee stamp issue in 2002 after being approved by Queen Elizabeth for issue, as with all stamps released during her reign.

Simon Thompson, CEO of Royal Mail, said: "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."