Kelvin Stamps Collection

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Royal Engagement 2011

Miniature Sheet

Presentation Pack (Front)

Presentation Pack (Back)

First Day Cover

On 16th November 2010, Clarence House announced that HRH Prince William of Wales is to marry Miss Catherine Middleton. They are to marry in Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011.

The couple became engaged in October 2010 in Kenya, East Africa, during a 10-day trip to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy to celebrate William’s passing his RAF helicopter search and rescue course.

Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, the prince’s private secretary, said: “The couple have chosen to be married at Westminster Abbey on the Feast of St Catherine on Friday 29th April. The couple were moved to choose the venue because of its staggering beauty, its 1,000 years of royal history and its relative intimacy despite its size”.

Technical Specs

Design:	Stephen Perera
Illustration / Photography:	Chris Jackson, Getty Images
Printer:	BDT Security Printers
Process:	Offset Lithography
Colours:	4 cols.
Stamp size:	27 x 48mm
Issue date:	2011-01-21
Stamp Values:	£2

HM QE II, Prince Philip 'Lifetime of Service'

(Source: http://www.gibraltar-stamps.com)

Gibraltar celebrates 60 years of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II with a remarkable issue. The stamps and products depict Her Majesty and HRH Prince Philip through the decades in photo album form representing the royal couple from their earliest years together to the present day.

Of note is a large diamond-shaped miniature sheet containing 6 stamps and two labels with its custom-made, oversize FDC and pack.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, born 21 April 1926) is the constitutional monarch of 16 independent sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis. In addition, as Head of the Commonwealth, she is the figurehead of the 54-member Commonwealth of Nations and, as the British monarch, she is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark; 10 June 1921) was born into the Greek and Danish royal families, but his family was exiled from Greece when he was a child. He was educated in Germany and Britain at schools run by the German Jewish educator Kurt Hahn. At the age of 18, he joined the British Royal Navy, in which he served during World War II, even though two of his German brothers-in-law fought on the opposing side. After the war, in March 1947, he renounced his titles, adopted the surname Mountbatten from his British maternal grandparents, and used the style “Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten”. Later that year, he married Princess Elizabeth, the eldest daughter and heir presumptive of King George VI. On his marriage, he was granted the style of His Royal Highness and the title of Duke of Edinburgh by his father-in-law. When Elizabeth became Queen in 1952, Philip left his naval career to act as her consort. His wife made him a Prince of the United Kingdom in 1957. He is Britain’s longest-serving consort and the oldest serving spouse of a reigning monarch.

Technical Specs

Design:	Westminster Collection
Illustration / Photography:	-
Printer:	BDT Security Printers
Process:	Offset Lithography
Colours:	4 cols.
Stamp size:	36 x36mm
Issue date:	2011-02-06
Stamp Values:	10p, 42p, 44p, 51p, 55p, £2

Queen Elizabeth 85th & Prince Philip’s 90th Birthday

Blog of 2

BACKGROUND

This year, in 2011, it is The Queen's 85^th birthday and the 90^thbirthday of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Chosen for their natural qualities, our commemorative stamps celebrate the life of Her Majesty and Prince Philip; and here we look back at their early years and marriage.

Born in Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926, The Queen was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The only son of Prince Andrew of Greece, The Duke of Edinburgh was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921.

The couple, who announced their engagement in 1947, had known each other for many years and were married in a low key ceremony at Westminster Abbey later that year on 20 November.

The health of the Princess's father, King George VI, was deteriorating and in 1952 the Princess, accompanied by Prince Philip, took his place on a visit to Australia and New Zealand. By now the couple already had two children - Prince Charles, who was born in 1948 and his sister, Princess Anne, born two years later.

Whilst staying in Kenya the Princess was informed of her father's death and her accession to the throne: she had left Britain as a Princess but was flying back as Queen.

After becoming Queen a third child, Prince Andrew, arrived in 1960 and the fourth, Prince Edward, in 1964.

The Queen celebrates two birthdays each year: her actual birthday on 21 April and her official birthday on either the first, second or third Saturday in June when the weather is likely to be better.

On her official birthday, Her Majesty is joined by other members of the Royal Family, invited guests and members of the public to watch Trooping the Colour, which moves between Buckingham Palace, The Mall and Horseguards' Parade.

The Queen's actual birthday is usually a private affair, although the occasion is marked publicly by gun salutes in London at midday.

(Source: www.guernseystamps.com)