His Majesty King Charles III: A New Reign

World Stamp Tuesday (2023 New Issue):
His Majesty King Charles III: A New Reign
MAY 6, 2023

Royal Mail issued four stamps on May 6, 2023 to mark the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla, with the stamps embracing the causes close to the king’s heart.

Presented in a miniature sheet, it is the third time in history that Royal Mail released coronation stamps, the previous two being for George VI and Queen Elizabeth II.

The four stamps depict: the coronation, diversity and community, the Commonwealth, and sustainability.

The coronation stamp depicts the moment when the St. Edward’s crown is lowered on to the king’s head as he sits in the Coronation Chair holding the Sceptre with Dove, representing his spiritual role, and Sceptre with Cross, representing his temporal power and associated with good governance. The scene is set in front of Westminster Abbey, with fireworks above, and a gun salute in the background, while celebrating crowds attend a street party and watch the ceremony on a giant screen.

The diversity and community stamp, reflecting the multi-faith community and cultural diversity of Britain, features figures representing the Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist religions, and is representative of all faiths and none. The background shows aspects of rural and urban Britain including many places of worship.

The Commonwealth stamp reflects the themes of global trade, cooperation, democracy and peace. Images include an imagined Commonwealth meeting, a representation of the Commonwealth Games, some flags of Commonwealth nations and a Commonwealth War Graves cemetery.

The sustainability and biodiversity stamp depicts natural landscapes alongside sustainable farming methods and features renewable sources of energy such as hydroelectric power and solar panels. Images of diverse forests, wildflower meadows and pollinating insects highlight the importance of wildlife conservation, while traditional crafts such as hedge-laying and beekeeping also feature prominently.

The stamps designed by Atelier Works feature wood engravings by British artist Andrew Davidson.

The miniature sheet background feature a wood engraving by Davidson and depicts intermingling foliage, symbolic of the four countries of the UK: the rose, thistle, daffodil, and shamrock.