Stamp launch: The Kiel Regatta

Driven by his duty as an advocate for peace, Prince Albert I, who had been made aware of the risks of a deterioration in relations between France and Germany, began participating in the Kiel Regatta from 1898 onwards.

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The Regatta (held in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) was a sporting event that attracted members of high society, but it was also – and above all – an opportunity for diplomacy.

Prince Albert I was often accompanied to the German event by French politicians in a bid to promote informal discussions with Emperor Wilhelm II and to try to bring the two nations closer together.

The friendship between Albert I and the Kaiser was based on their shared passion: marine science. In a coincidence of timing, the two men were together, during the middle of the Kiel Regatta, when they learned about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on 28 June 1914.

Today the regatta, now known as Kiel Week, is the largest sailing event in the world.

Kiel Regatta stamp details

Issue date: 26 February 2021
Design and line-engraving: Martin Mörck
Printing process: Steel-engraving and offset
Size of the stamp: 40.85 x 30 mm horizontal
Quantity of issue: 35,000 stamps
Sheet of 10 stamps with illuminations

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Design by talented engraver

A spokesperson for the Office des Timbres said: 

"Martin Mörck is the one of the recurring artists that we ask for the creation of our stamps. His talents as an engraver make his works of a breathtaking realism.

"Mörck is not only good in achieving photographic likeness. He manages to show the personality behind the photo. His portraits convey the emotions and depth of the person."

Monaco stamps to have been engraved by Martin include the following…