CELEBRATING BRITAIN
From popstars to Paddington, recognisable UK figures are celebrated on our postage stamps
They may be small, but when it comes to recognising famous people and important events in our nation’s history, postage stamps have got it licked.
And although many female sports stars and historical figures have appeared on them in the past, legendary diva Dame Shirley Bassey, 87, recently became the first solo female music artist to have a set of 12 stamps issued to mark her glittering 70 years in showbiz. Here are some of our other favourite postage stamp moments.
HER AND HIS MAJESTY
While the King’s head appears on our everyday – or so-called definitive – stamps, there have also been special sets issued over the years. Many celebrated Queen Elizabeth II’s remarkable lifetime of public service. A stamp collector herself, the royal philatelic collection is thought to be worth £100 million.
The most famous likeness of the late Queen appeared on stamps from 1967 onwards, and Royal Mail estimated that the image has been printed more than 220 billion times. After his mother’s death, stamps with King Charles III’s profile went on sale in April 2023 and, in a break with tradition, for the first time, they didn’t show him wearing a crown.
Paddington Bear
Since his first appearance in 1958 in Michael Bond’s book, A Bear Called Paddington, this furry, marmalade-loving character has become a national treasure. Now a successful movie star, he even took tea with the late Queen, who revealed she kept her marmalade sandwiches in her handbag, in a sketch to mark her Platinum Jubilee.
Paddington first appeared on a stamp in 2014, with other iconic TV children’s characters such as Postman Pat, Shaun the Sheep and Peppa Pig, but got his own set in 2023 to celebrate his 65th anniversary.
GOING FOR GOLD
On the day of the opening ceremony for the 2012 Olympics, a special set of Team GB stamps featuring athletes diving, fencing, running and cycling around famous London landmarks went on sale. What’s more, every winner – pictured in action from their final – appeared on a stamp just 24 hours later. They included sporting greats such as runner Mo Farah, cyclists Bradley Wiggins and Laura Kenny, tennis star Andy Murray and heptathlete Jessica Ennis-Hill.
THE WINDRUSH GENERATION
On 21 June 1948, Empire Windrush arrived on our shores, beginning the arrival of Commonwealth citizens from the West Indies, recruited by the country to help with the UK’s post-war labour shortages, with many becoming bus driver
