Royal Mail stamps: what is the special edition in memory of Queen Elizabeth, how to buy - how many are there?

Four stamps will be released in memory of the Queen Elizabeth II, the Royal Mail has announced.

The new stamps - the first set to be approved by King Charles III –will feature portraits of the late monarch through the years and will go on general sale from 10 November.

What do the stamps look like?

Second-class stamps will feature a photograph taken by Dorothy Wilding in 1952 to mark the Queen’s accession and coronation, while the first-class stamp will include a photo taken by Cecil Beaton in 1968 in which the monarch is standing in her admiral’s cloak with her head tilted to the left.

A portrait taken in November 1984 by Yousuf Karsh will appear on £1.85 stamps and the image on the £2.55 stamps will be a photo taken by Tim Graham in 1996 while the Queen attended a banquet at Prague Castle during her visit to the Czech Republic.

All four stamp images were taken in the Golden Jubilee stamp issue in 2002 and were approved by the late Queen for issue that year.

How can I buy them?

A presentation pack of all four stamps will retail at £6.95 and is available to pre-order on the Royal Mail’s website.

Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: “For the past 70 years every British stamp has been personally approved by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth.

“Today we are unveiling these stamps, the first to be approved by His Majesty The King, in tribute to a woman whose commitment to public service and duty was unparalleled in the history of this country.”

Will the King’s image replace the Queen’s on normal stamps?

The Royal Mail has confirmed the King’s image will replace the Queen on new 1st and 2nd Class definitive stamps, as well as all those of other values. Issues of special stamps will also feature a silhouette of Charles.

The Royal Mail said: “New stamps featuring King Charles will enter circulation once current stocks of stamps are exhausted.

“In line with guidance from the Royal Household, to minimise the environmental and financial impact of the change of monarch, existing stocks of definitive stamps that feature the late Queen and the special stamps which use her silhouette, will be distributed and issued as planned. The launch dates of some of the special stamps may change.”

The images of the new stamps, the timings of their release, and the new silhouette will be revealed at a later date.