Royal Mail has revealed the final set of stamps to feature a silhouette of the late Queen. Her image will appear one last time on a set of 12 special stamps released to mark the 100th anniversary of the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive.
The stamps, which go on sale on March 9 but are available to order from today (February 28), show the same silhouette of Elizabeth II used since 1968 on all British special stamps issued to commemorate events.
All future stamps will feature a silhouette of King Charles III.
David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, explained the decision to commemorate the centenary of Flying Scotsman, now part of the collection at the National Railway Museum in York.
The locomotive left the LNER’s Doncaster works in February 1923 before being named the following year after the principal express train between London and Edinburgh.
Mr Gold said: “Flying Scotsman is a national treasure of engineering and design that conjures up the golden age of steam travel.
“This remarkable locomotive epitomises the romance of rail travel and is loved all by people over the world.”
The 12 designs feature images of the locomotive from poster artwork from the 1920s and 1930s and at locations across the UK.
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David Gold, at the Royal Mail, said: “What marks this stamp out is that there is no embellishment at all, no crown, just simply the face of the human being, on the plain background, almost saying, ‘This is me and I’m at your service’. I think in this modern age it is actually rather humbling.
“The King gave very clear directions he didn’t want anything to be pulped, he didn’t want things being shredded, he didn’t want stock being thrown away.”
It is thought that retailers will use up the last of their stock of the Queen’s stamps before releasing the new one.
Both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria wore a diamond diadem in their stamps, which was created for the Coronation of King George IV in 1821.
