Devotion to Service Queen Elizabeth II was renowned for her devotion to service, the seeds of which were sown while still a princess. The stamp photograph shows Princess Elizabeth in her junior commander uniform for the Auxiliary Territorial Service, in 1945; the service tasked women with important support roles during World War II, including as drivers. The Queen was also dedicated to the success of the Commonwealth, undertaking more than 200 visits to Commonwealth countries during her reign, amounting to one-third of her total overseas visits.

Affection for Corgis It is well known that Queen Elizabeth II had a great affection for dogs. Two of the Queen’s corgis, Sandy and Muick poignantly made appearances during the Queen’s funeral procession. The stamp photograph presents the Queen with her dog, Susan, at Balmoral in 1952. Susan was a Pembroke Corgi – a present to the Queen on her 18th birthday and reportedly much beloved. Following Susan’s death, in 1959, the Queen went on to own more than 30 of Susan’s descendants.

Visits to Australia Queen Elizabeth II made 16 visits to Australia between 1954 and 2011. The 1954 tour, the first by a reigning British monarch, occurred not long after her coronation and it stopped the nation. The highly successful two-month tour, undertaken by the Queen and Prince Philip, involved visits to 57 towns and cities in 58 days. The stamp photograph shows the Queen during a visit to schoolchildren at Manuka Oval, Canberra, dressed in a wattle hat. It was on this tour that the Australian Parliament gifted the Queen a diamond wattle spray brooch, which became part of her personal collection.

Passion for Horses Queen Elizabeth II had a lifelong bond with horses, most likely influenced by her father, King George VI, who had a passion for thoroughbreds. The Queen rode for her entire life, from the age of three. She also bred horses, including many race winners. In 2013, the Queen’s horse Estimate won the Gold Cup, making her the first reigning monarch to win the title in the more than 200-year history of this prestigious event. The stamp design shows the Queen at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, in 1997, an event that the Queen attended during each year of her reign.

Strength and Stay The Queen’s dedication to her family is represented in this stamp issue by her enduring marriage to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, which lasted 73 years until his death in 2021. The stamp photograph was released on the couple’s diamond wedding anniversary in 2007. In a speech to mark her golden wedding anniversary, the Queen described Prince Philip as her “strength and stay”. Touchingly, the photograph re-enacts one of the royal couple’s honeymoon photos from November 1947.

Longevity of her Reign On 8 September 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away, aged 96. Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on 21 April 1926, Queen Elizabeth reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth for 70 years and 214 days, the longest of any British monarch and the longest of any female head of state in recorded history. The longevity of the Queen’s reign is captured by her last officially released photograph: a portrait of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. The Queen is wearing an aquamarine brooch – an 18th birthday gift from her beloved father, King George VI.