- For the first time as monarch, Charles’ portrait will appear on stamps.
- David Gold, said they received guidance from the King to maintain “continuity.”
- The new stamp design depicts Charles’ head and neck.
A Royal Mail executive described the image of the King that will appear on first and second class stamps as a “defining part” of his reign.
For the first time as monarch, Charles‘ portrait will appear on stamps, and the simple, uncluttered design is inspired by stamps featuring the late Queen.
According to David Gold, Royal Mail’s director of external affairs and policy, they received guidance from the King to maintain “continuity,” and Charles did not want existing stamp stocks depicting the Queen pulped, but used up over time.
The new stamp design depicts Charles’ head and neck, and the King is shown facing left, as all monarchs have done since the Penny Black, the world’s first postage stamp, was issued in 1840 with Queen Victoria’s image.
“The guidance we received from His Majesty was more about continuity and not doing anything too different from what had gone before,” Mr Gold explained.
“I think perhaps there’s an acknowledgement that, for 70 years people have been so used to seeing the image of Her Majesty, even though actually the current image only started in 1967, they didn’t want to do anything too different to what had gone before.
“Personally, I think 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’, which I think in this modern age is actually rather humbling.”
The King’s image appears on definitive stamps, also known as “everyday” stamps because they feature only the monarch’s head and the stamp’s value on a plain background.
Martin Jennings, a British artist, created a profile sculpture of Charles for the Royal Mint, which was producing UK coins, and a team from the Royal Mail adapted an image of the artwork, adjusting and relighting the image for use on the new stamps.
Mr Gold added, “I don’t underestimate how difficult it was for them.” He was speaking about the efforts of the Royal Mail team, which began working on the project following the Queen’s death in September.
“But I also know that I can speak for them when I say how grateful they were to be able to work on this project… it will forever be a part of history. It’s a clear, defining moment in King Charles‘ reign.”
[embedpost slug=”tom-cruise-postpended-shooting-of-mission-impossible-for-king-charles-coronation/”]
