No guarantee to be 'Royal'

[POSTMAN]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 57579.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sorry, ma'am, but Royal Mail sell-off means no more crowning glory


It could be a bad heir day for Royal Mail. The postal giant has admitted it may lose the right to use symbols of the monarchy including the E II R royal cypher on post boxes and the crown on stamps after its £3bn privatisation, while Prince Charles' image may never appear on future stamps.


Details set out deep inside Royal Mail's 447-page prospectus for potential investors reveal Royal Mail is party to an agreement with the Government, signed on 27 September, the day the privatisation was launched, covering its use of royal symbols on stamps.

Whilst the Queen's head will remain on stamps as long as she reigns, under the Postal Services Act other royal symbols are not guaranteed. The Lord Chamberlain's office has told the postal giant that ministers may ban it from using Crown trademarks in the event of a string of different circumstances.

The Lord Chamberlain's letter also states that the image of the next monarch is not guaranteed to grace future stamps. It will be up to Prince Charles to decide whether to let them use his face. Other events could also see Royal Mail stamps stripped of royal insignia, including the firm ceasing to provide a universal postal service or using the royal associations in a way which "brings the Crown into disrepute." The Queen can also withdraw her consent to use of the royal cypher at any time.

What's in a name? Why our post is anonymous

Britain is the only country whose postage stamps do not feature the name of the country issuing them – because we were the first country to produce stamps.

It was 6 May, 1840 when Great Britain issued the world's first adhesive postage stamp, with the Penny Black showing Queen Victoria.

From then on all British stamps were issued with a portrait - often in profile or semi-profile - of the reigning sovereign. Kings, unlike queens, never wore crowns in their stamp portraits.

Stamps marking special events were introduced in 1924, for the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley. Now around 12 sets of special commemorative stamps are issued every year.

[Lounge Lizard]

"The postal giant has admitted it may lose the right to use symbols of the monarchy including the E II R royal cypher on post boxes" but surely nobody is seriously suggesting that all the many thousands of post boxes currently in use, some dating back to Victoria's reign, will have to be replaced and with little prospect of any new boxes being needed after pirateisation nobody is going to notice any difference.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

"The postal giant has admitted it may lose the right to use symbols of the monarchy including the E II R royal cypher on post boxes" but surely nobody is seriously suggesting that all the many thousands of post boxes currently in use, some dating back to Victoria's reign, will have to be replaced and with little prospect of any new boxes being needed after pirateisation nobody is going to notice any difference.

Thats a better description of whats happening - can we change the forums name.

[SpacePhoenix]

If that happend, would they be forced to change the business name as well?

[Shambles]

"The postal giant has admitted it may lose the right to use symbols of the monarchy including the E II R royal cypher on post boxes" but surely nobody is seriously suggesting that all the many thousands of post boxes currently in use, some dating back to Victoria's reign, will have to be replaced and with little prospect of any new boxes being needed after pirateisation nobody is going to notice any difference.

Thats a better description of whats happening - can we change the forums name.

Lounge Lizard Brilliant...

Question...what will happen to our proud Gold Medal athletes Postal Boxes....EBay?

[Lounge Lizard]

"The postal giant has admitted it may lose the right to use symbols of the monarchy including the E II R royal cypher on post boxes" but surely nobody is seriously suggesting that all the many thousands of post boxes currently in use, some dating back to Victoria's reign, will have to be replaced and with little prospect of any new boxes being needed after pirateisation nobody is going to notice any difference.

Thats a better description of whats happening - can we change the forums name.

Lounge Lizard Brilliant...

Question...what will happen to our proud Gold Medal athletes Postal Boxes....EBay?

No, the gold paint will gradually fade or flake off revealing the original red below.

[Shambles]

"The postal giant has admitted it may lose the right to use symbols of the monarchy including the E II R royal cypher on post boxes" but surely nobody is seriously suggesting that all the many thousands of post boxes currently in use, some dating back to Victoria's reign, will have to be replaced and with little prospect of any new boxes being needed after pirateisation nobody is going to notice any difference.

Thats a better description of whats happening - can we change the forums name.

Lounge Lizard Brilliant...

Question...what will happen to our proud Gold Medal athletes Postal Boxes....EBay?

No, the gold paint will gradually fade or flake off revealing the original red below.

You mean, they're not 9ct ... Boooga, theres my retirement fund scuppered

[Lounge Lizard]

"The postal giant has admitted it may lose the right to use symbols of the monarchy including the E II R royal cypher on post boxes" but surely nobody is seriously suggesting that all the many thousands of post boxes currently in use, some dating back to Victoria's reign, will have to be replaced and with little prospect of any new boxes being needed after pirateisation nobody is going to notice any difference.

Thats a better description of whats happening - can we change the forums name.

Look at page 4 of our "Your guide to owning shares" and it clearly tells us "Did you know? The 'Pirate Code' introduced by Portuguese buccaneers in the 17th century gave every employee, from captain to cabin boy, a part share in any buried treasure they discovered." the relevance of which I presume to be that within a few years we can expect the terms and conditions of a seventeenth century cabin boy, forlornly hoping for some buried treasure.

[NWpostie]

In Ireland there is still a few pre 1922 post boxes with the Royal Cypher still in use albeit painted in Green.

[Lounge Lizard]

In Ireland there is still a few pre 1922 post boxes with the Royal Cypher still in use albeit painted in Green.

And a few in Belfast painted green ?

[TrueBlueTerrier]

In Ireland there is still a few pre 1922 post boxes with the Royal Cypher still in use albeit painted in Green.

And a few in Belfast painted green ?

A fairly common occurrence

A Royal Mail postbox painted green... final proof the Provos have won WARNING TYPICAL DM RANT - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/colum ... s-won.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 31 July 2005

Green Post Box Campaign Continues to Spread Across the North October 13, 2008 http://ograshinnfein.blogspot.co.uk/200 ... pread.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Republicans 'painting post boxes green' http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/region ... -1-1875169" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 09/09/2008

Green postbox row MLA told to say sorry http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 65843.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 04 FEBRUARY 2009

Anger as republicans paint postboxes green http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/region ... -1-1867187" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 30/07/2010

Anger over green postboxes in County Tyrone http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 69745.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; 10 NOVEMBER 2010

The big green post boxes on the falls road'wise up you idiots http://www.belfastforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=41104.0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; October 30, 2011

[NWpostie]

Thats going to help inter community relations a lot .........NOT its not going to advance the cause of a United Ireland one jot as they forgot that the other half don't want to be Irish.

The shinners still want a United Ireland, let them do it via the Political process not moronic behaviour,