The Royal Wedding
The Must-Have Stamps of 2018!
It’s the day the nation has been waiting for! 19 May 2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will tie the knot at Windsor Castle and most of us will be glued to our television screens throughout the event. Naturally, Royal Mail are marking the momentous occasion with a stamp issue. Showcasing the official engagement photographs, the stamps are certainly this year’s must-haves for your collection, so what are you waiting for?
A New Era for the Royals
The royal couple have charmed the nation and their marriage marks a sea change for the monarchy. Not so very long ago, this wedding would have been completely unthinkable. In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne so that he could marry an American divorcee! His relationship with Wallis Simpson was a scandal that rocked the nation.
Following Edward’s abdication, his brother became King George VI. His wife, The Queen Mother, felt that his premature death just 16 year later was due to the stress of becoming King and never forgave Wallis Simpson. A few years later, her own daughter Princess Margaret was unable to marry her sweetheart Captain Peter Townsend because he was a divorcee.
But times change and thankfully both the Royal Family and the Church of England have moved with them. In 2002, the church dropped their provision against remarriage for a divorced person with a living spouse, enabling Prince Charles to marry Camilla in 2005. Now, Harry and Meghan’s thoroughly modern romance which began with a blind date can have its happy ending.
The wedding is unlikely to be particularly avant-garde – things don’t change that quickly! But it will be a memorable occasion which should unite the nation at a time when Brexit, amongst other things, appears to have caused such huge divisions.
The Royal Wedding Stamps
Issued 19th May 2018, two 1st Class and two £1.55 stamps feature the wonderful, official engagement pictures. They are accompanied by a first day cover, a presentation pack and a coin cover. Royal Mail have announced that postmarking will be extended for 28 days after issue date as the Special Stamp issue was not originally included in the published 2018 Stamp Programme and was announced somewhat late in proceedings.
