New issues -
🇬🇧 Royal Mail -
1 April 2023 - New definitive series, King Charles III.
In a shock last minute decision prior to the issue of the first definitive stamps depicting King Charles III in a few days time, Royal Mail has announced that the stamps to be issued will vary from the previously publicised designs by showing the King’s head looking to the right instead of to the left. This last minute change has not been explained so far except that it is “for operational reasons”. An illustration of the 1st Class Domestic rate stamp has been released but it is expected that the remaining four values to be released will be publicised on the actual day of issue itself. Royal Mail is recalling all examples of the stamps showing the king looking to the left distributed pre-release and will replace them with the new versions. One commentator has suggested that the last minute change has been made because officials at Buckingham Palace feel that the new version shows His Majesty’s ‘better side’, something of which they became aware during the King’s recent state visit to Germany when he made his speech to the the German parliament.
Post scriptum -
I have also managed to obtain an illustration of one of the upcoming Royal Mail Legend of Robin Hood stamps which confirms it will be something of a controversial set in the way it depicts this piece of classic English folklore and seems to be tied in more with celebrating the Centenary of an American film-making company than English traditional pseudo-history
Funny that RM should publish this on April 1st nice one WK
ReplyDeleteExcellent April Fool. Sadly the stamps still look dreadful. A portrait that includes more neck and shoulder might work better, and the horrible pretend perforation printed between the stamp and the barcode is so unnecessary. Nothing has been learnt from the deficiencies of the barcode Machins it seems. Disappointing issue and a bit embarrassing I fear.
ReplyDeleteIf that is all RM can say about Robin Hood then I am deeply disappointed.
ReplyDeleteWK replying - Hello petemk - Thanks for your comments. We will soon find out what Royal Mail really has to say about Robin. Thanks also to Simon for his comment.
ReplyDeleteNorvic kindly left a comment - “excellent!” but I accidently deleted it so I have recorded it here to thank him for the kind comment.
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