Marking seven decades
A new triple-portrait of the Prince of Wales and his sons is featured in our new set of Special Stamps marking Prince Charles' 70th birthday.
Charles, the Duke of Cambridge and the Duke of Sussex were photographed during the July celebrations at Buckingham Palace that marked the RAF's 100th anniversary.
William served for a number of years as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, Harry is Honorary Air Commandant of RAF Honington while their father is Marshal of the Royal Air Force.
The image is one of six that show the heir to the throne at work and play in celebration of his birthday on Wednesday 14 November.
Polo princes is the theme of another stamp, with William and Harry sharing a joke with their father during an event at Cirencester Park Polo Club in 2004, when they took part in the Gurkha Welfare Challenge Trophy.
Charles' Scottish retreat, the Castle of Mey, is the backdrop for a portrait of the prince on another stamp. While a scene showing the heir to the throne greeting schoolchildren during a visit to a Tudor manor house, Llancaiach Fawr Manor near Cardiff, has also been chosen for the collection. The final two stamps feature an image of Charles hugging wife Camilla - which was used for the couple's 2015 Christmas card - and a photograph of the prince by himself.
The Prince of Wales is the eldest son of Her Majesty The Queen, the Heir to the Thrones of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms. He is also the future Head of the Commonwealth.
Prince Charles Philip Arthur George Windsor was born on 14 November 1948. Aged three, he became Heir Apparent and Duke of Cornwall following his mother’s accession to the Throne.
His investiture as Prince of Wales in 1969 was followed by a career in the Royal Navy until 1976 when he assumed full-time royal duties in support of The Queen. During that same year he started his first charity, The Prince’s Trust, with the help of £7,500 in Royal Navy severance pay
Stamp strategy manager, Philip Parker, said, ‘Royal Mail is proud to release this six-stamp tribute to HRH The Prince of Wales, featuring delightful images of the Prince and his family.’
The stamps are available now to pre-order from www.royalmail.com/princeofwales and go on general sale from Thursday 14 November by phone on 03457 641 641 and in 7,000 Post Offices throughout the UK.
