• 600-year Royal journey ends with launch of House of Windsor  and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha stamps
• Portrait of Her Majesty The Queen features on £1.10 stamp
• Special set of Stamps also issued featuring historic events during the period, including Scott’s South Pole expedition and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother’s tour of bomb-damaged London during WWII.
•  Stephen Agar from Royal Mail said: “The Kings and Queens series of stamps shows a remarkable timeline of Royal history, reproducing portraits of every UK monarch since 1399 through to The Queen”

Royal Mail launches its latest set of Special Stamps with the release of five stamps showing portraits of the monarchs who have reigned from the early part of the 20th century. This set includes Her Majesty The Queen as the final stamp in the issue.

The stamps, available on 2 February 2012, conclude Royal Mail’s epic ‘Kings and Queens’ series which for the last four years has charted the UK’s monarchy through its six royal houses, finishing with the House of Windsor.

Titled “The House of Windsor and Saxe-Coburg-Gotha” the collection includes Edward VII who features on the 1st Class stamp; the 68p stamp shows a portrait of George V with his son George VI on the £1.00 stamp. Edward VIII, who reigned from  January to December 1936, features on the 76p stamp. Taking pride of place and concluding the set is Her Majesty The Queen with a portrait by Pietro Annigoni adorning a £1.10 stamp.

In addition to these five stamps, a special set of four stamps is also available highlighting significant events that have taken place during the current reign of the House of Windsor. The four events recognised are:
• Robert Falcon Scott’s brave expedition to the South Pole in 1912
• The Queen Mother’s tour of bomb-damaged London during WWII to help build morale during the War years
• The most glorious and famous day in English football history with a stamp showing the lineup of England’s famous World Cup winning team from 1966
• The 1994 opening of the Channel Tunnel linking France and the UK, showcasing one of the most outstanding engineering achievements in modern British history

Stephen Agar from Royal Mail said: “The Kings and Queens series of stamps shows a remarkable timeline of Royal history, reproducing portraits of every UK monarch since 1399. The stamps in this issue are powerful images showing our Kings and Queens at their finest and most majestic. 
“There have been some major events during the reign of The House of Windsor monarchs and it is great that we’ve been able to honour some of these, including England’s World Cup win in 1966, within this issue.”

Additional facts about The House of Windsor monarchs include:
• Windsor became a Royal surname in 1917 when George V changed his family’s name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha during WWI
• The House of Windsor has witnessed huge social and technological change including the creation of the NHS and the growth of mass communications
• During the current reign of the House of Windsor England has hosted the football World Cup in 1966 and London has twice hosted the Olympic Games in 1908 and 1948 (with 2012 to follow)
• The Queen presented the England football team with the World Cup trophy on 30 July 1966 at Wembley
• The Queen’s 60 year reign is the second longest for a British monarch behind only Queen Victoria who ruled for 63 years and 7 months
• The Channel Tunnel officially opened on 6 May 1994 and was inaugurated by The Queen and the then French President Francois Mitterrand 
Ends

Natasha Ayivor
Royal Mail Press Office
100 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0HQ
Tel: 0207 449 8250
www.royalmail.com/stamps

NOTES TO EDITORS
The House of Windsor completes Royal Mail’s epic four-year journey through the six Royal Houses. Titled ‘Kings and Queens’, the series has charted more than 600 years of British history beginning in February 2008 with the House of Lancaster and York .

Stamps and stamp products are available at all Post Office branches, online at www.royalmail.com/stamps the Royal Mail eBay shop: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Royal-Mail-Stamp-Collections and from Royal Mail Tallents House (tel. 08457 641 641), 21 South Gyle Crescent, Edinburgh, EH12 9PB.

For almost 50 years Royal Mail’s Special Stamp programme has commemorated and celebrated events and anniversaries pertinent to UK heritage and life. Today, there are an estimated 2.5 million stamp collectors and gifters in the UK and millions worldwide. Her Majesty the Queen approves all UK stamp designs before they are printed. 

Kings and Queens – The House of Windsor

 The House of Windsor Miniature Sheet,Stamp by Stamp