29 May 2019
|
The latest stamps from Guernsey Post commemorate the bi-centenary of the births of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert.
Commemorative stamps to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the births of Queen Victoria, Britain’s second longest-serving monarch and her husband Albert, Prince Consort, were released by Guernsey Post on 29 May.
The stamp set, which depicts Victoria and Albert both individually and as a couple, includes the first photograph to depict Queen Victoria as a reigning monarch, which was taken in 1854, along with images of the royal couple’s marble busts carved in 1855 by Joseph Durham.
The future Queen Victoria was born at Kensington Palace, London, on 24 May 1819. She was the only daughter of Edward, Duke of Kent, fourth son of George III. Her father died shortly after her birth and she became heir to the throne and ascended the throne in 1837 at the age of 18, after the death of William IV.
A happy union
Prince Albert's uncle, Prince Leopold, hoped that the Prince would marry his cousin Princess Victoria and arranged their first meeting on 18 May 1836 and, having met again in October 1839, their engagement was announced on 23 November that year. The marriage took place on 10 February 1840 in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace.
By the end of 1840, Prince Albert was, in effect, Private Secretary to The Queen. He was granted full access to Cabinet and other State papers, and from 1841 onwards he joined Victoria at audiences held with her ministers. Over the years, overwork took its toll on Prince Albert's health and he died from typhoid fever on 14 December 1861, aged 42, at Windsor Castle with Queen Victoria and five of their nine children at his bedside.
Victoria died at Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, on 22 January 1901 after a reign lasting almost 64 years, then the longest in British history. She was buried at Windsor beside Prince Albert, in the Frogmore Royal Mausoleum, which she had built for their final resting place.
Stamp details
Issue date: 29 May 2019
Designer: The Potting Shed
Printer: Cartor Security Printing
Print process: Offset Lithography
Stamp size: 43.5mm x 30mm
Perforations: 13.25 x 13.25
To order the stamps, visit the Guernsey Post website.
QUICK LINK: Guernsey Post's Europa Birds stamps
