Her Majesty Sparkles on 80th Birthday Stamps

Her Majesty Sparkles on 80th Birthday Stamps

April 14, 2006

    LONDON, April 14 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Royal Mail
celebrates the 80th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen with
eight warm and informal photographic portraits taken
throughout her life. 

    The stamps will be issued on Tuesday 18th April, three
days before the Queen's birthday, and feature smiling
images of Her Majesty drawn from thousands of archive
photographs. 

    Julietta Edgar, Head of Stamps, Royal Mail said:
"I'm sure every one of these enchanting portraits will
be a huge hit with people throughout the Commonwealth, and
prove a memorable way to say 'Happy Birthday' to our
Queen." 

    "Special Stamp issues have always played a special
role in marking the UK's key events and anniversaries -- and
this beautiful set of stamps is no exception." 

    People who wish to purchase Royal Mail stamps,
presentation packs and first day covers can do so online by
visiting http://www.royalmail.com/stamps .

    Royal Mail is also offering customers the chance to
enter a prize draw with one very lucky winner receiving a
piece of jewellery containing 80 diamonds and worth
GBP25,000. The winner's unique choice of design will be
crafted specially by Garrard, The House of the Crown
Jeweller. 

    Two further special products will accompany the new
stamps. The first, issued on the Queen's birthday, is a
Coin Cover produced with the Royal Mint featuring a new
GBP5 Crown alongside the eight stamps. 

    On June 17th, a set of 'silver stamps' and a
commemorative document will be made available to the
public. Produced with the Royal Dutch Mint, the eight
ultra-thin, 'silver stamps' made out of pure precious metal
are being issued in a limited edition of 2006 sets. 

    Stamp Technical Details:

    Value                               Description
 
    First Class                         Meeting dignitaries
at Heathrow
                                        Airport 2001

    First Class                         With her Mother the
Duchess of York
                                        1931

    Second Class                        Aboard Britannia
1972

    Second Class                        Royal Windsor Horse
Show May 1985

    European basic rate                 State Banquet
Ottawa, Canada,
                                        October 1951

    European basic rate                 HM The Queen 1960

    Rest of the World airmail rate up   Age 14, 1940
    to 20gms

    Rest of the World airmail rate up   With the Duke of
Edinburgh c.1950
    to 20gms

    NOTE TO EDITORS:  Images of the Queen's 80th birthday
stamps are available by telephoning Mark Barber at Eulogy!
on [phone] or via e-mail from [e-mail]
.

    For more infomation, please contact:

     Eulogy!
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 
            [e-mail]. 
     Web:   http://www.royalmail.com/stamps

SOURCE  Royal Mail