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British Royals

King Charles III appears on special release stamps for the first time – and there is a poignant link to Queen Elizabeth II

By
14th March 2023

The first stamp to bear the silhouette of King Charles III has its own place in history and its own link with Queen Elizabeth II.

His Majesty’s likeness appears in the corner of a stamp featuring a sweet pea, one of Her Late Majesty’s favourite flowers.

As he paid tribute to his ”darling mama” just hours after her death in September 2022, His Majesty did so with a vase of sweet peas at his side, a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

Full set of Flowers stamps (Royal Mail)

Now, the summer bloom takes lead place in a set of stamps featuring flowers that is the first to carry the silhouette of The King.

Among the other flowers chosen for the set are the rose, the dahlia and the sunflower. They have been released to celebrate some of the most popular blooms grown in British gardens.

His Majesty’s likeness was created by a team of three people.  The illustrator Andrew Davidson worked with the Head of Design and Editorial at Royal Mail, Marcus James and Ian Chilvers from design agency, Atelier Works.

There are ten floral stamps in total in the new collection, which will go on public sale on March 23rd 2023. The stamps are available to pre-order online from March 14th 2023.

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About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.