The Royal Mail has issued the final set of stamps to feature the head of Queen Elizabeth II.
The special stamps celebrate 100 years of the Flying Scotsman steam locomotive and mark the final stamps of the Elizabethan era. A silhouette of the late Queen has appeared on special stamps since 1968.
The final stamps will be available to pre-order on Tuesday, February 28 with all future special stamps showing the silhouette of King Charles. They will go on general sale from next week.
Special stamps like this have long term planning schedules with the Royal Mail and were planned before the Queen’s death in September last year. King Charles has insisted all stamps bearing the Queen’s image be used before the introduction of his own to avoid waste.
The commemorative set features 12 stamps depicting the National Railway Museum’s famous train across various parts of the UK. The stamps show Flying Scotsman in settings including North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Berwick-on-Tweed and Victoria Station in London.
Built in Doncaster in 1923, the Flying Scotsman became synonymous with UK rail travel over the last 100 years. Weighing 97 tonnes, the locomotive was the first British steam locomotive to break the 100mph barrier and run non-stop from London to Edinburgh.
David Gold, director of external affairs and policy at Royal Mail, said: “Flying Scotsman is a national treasure of engineering and design that conjures up the golden age of steam travel.” He said the “remarkable locomotive epitomises the romance of rail travel and is loved” by people all over the world.