2017 Platinum Wedding Anniversary


New Zealand Post has created this special commemorative stamp issue to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh’s platinum wedding anniversary. Over their 70 years of marriage, they have achieved many remarkable milestones, of which family feature prominently. The stamps capture some of these magical moments.



While the Queen and Prince Philip were engaged in 1946, their engagement was not formally announced to the world until the following year – 10 July 1947 – when Elizabeth turned 21.
On Thursday 20 November 1947, the royal couple were married in Westminster Abbey. Despite all their royal responsibilities, some of the most significant moments in their lives are family occasions. The births of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are sure to have been among the highlights. The fourth generation of the royal family continues to grow, with another great-grandchild expected in the first half of 2018.
Together, the Queen and Prince Philip have broken many records. She is the longest-serving – and longest-living - sovereign in New Zealand’s history, and the first to visit this country while reigning. He is the longest-serving consort and the longest-lived male member of the royal family. They are the first royal couple to see three generations of successors to the throne. No other members of the royal family have ever celebrated a platinum wedding anniversary, which makes this a very rare and remarkable milestone by any standard.

The Stamps.
Six stamp showing different aspects of their marriage.

$1.00 - Engagement day.
Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten on the day their engagement was formally announced to the world. 
Elizabeth met her future husband, Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, in 1934 and 1937. They are second cousins once removed through King Christian IX of Denmark and third cousins through Queen Victoria. After another meeting at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, in July 1939, Elizabeth – though only 13 years old – said she fell in love with Philip and they began to exchange letters. She was 21 and he was 26 when their engagement was officially announced on 9 July 1947.

$2.00 - Husband and wife.
Elizabeth and Philip were married on 20 November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. They received 2500 wedding gifts from around the world. Because Britain had not yet completely recovered from the devastation of the war, Elizabeth required ration coupons to buy the material for her gown, which was designed by Norman Hartnell. In post-war Britain, it was not acceptable for the Duke of Edinburgh's German relations, including his three surviving sisters, to be invited to the wedding. The Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, was not invited either.
This is one of the many wedding photos taken immediately after the royal couple’s wedding. Princess Elizabeth had taken her husband’s title and become the Duchess of Edinburgh. It was not until 1957 that the Queen proclaimed that Philip would be known as a Prince in his own right.

$2.20 Silver wedding anniversary.
This photo was part of a series taken to mark the Queen and Prince Philip’s upcoming silver wedding anniversary in 1972. At the time, New Zealand’s royal family included the Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles (23), Princess Anne (22), Prince Andrew (12), and Prince Edward (8).

$2.30New Zealand royal engagement.
The Queen, Prince Philip, Prince Charles, and Princess Anne toured New Zealand from 30 January to 8 February 1974. They attended Waitangi Day ceremonies (then known as New Zealand Day) at Waitangi. Prince Philip opened the Commonwealth Games held in Christchurch and the Queen closed them 10 days later.

$2.70 - Many generations.
In 2016 the Queen celebrated her 90th birthday surrounded by family. Pictured standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, four generations of the royal family can be seen enjoying the celebrations. Prince Phillip, Charles and William wear a distinctive red ceremonial uniform, with their various medals and awards, while Harry stands out in his navy blue dress uniform.

$3.30 - 70 Years On.
Almost 70 years after they were married, the Queen and Prince Philip appear on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the Trooping the Colour parade, with their four children, eight grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.



First Day Cover - 20 November 2017.
While the stamps may give a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip throughout the years, the image on the first-day cover shows a more recent photo of the couple looking every bit as in love as they did on their wedding day.

Miniature Sheet First Day Cover - 20 November 2017.
Capturing a moment of their younger years, the image on the miniature sheet first-day cover shows why the happy royals were so loved by the nation.

Miniature Sheet with one $1, one $2, one $2.20, one $2.30, one $2.70 and one $3.30 stamp.  The miniature sheet features royal purple for the background colour, with a koru pattern over the top to give it a unique New Zealand flavour.

Presentation Pack.


Plate Block Set.                                                                                                  Value Block Set.

Set of Full Sheets.


Technical Information.

Date of issue:
20 November 2017
Number of stamps:
Six gummed stamps
Denominations:
Gummed: $1.00, $2.00, $2.20, $2.30, $2.70 and $3.30
Designed by:
Jonathan Gray, New Zealand Post
Printer and process:
Southern Colour Print Ltd, New Zealand by offset lithography
Number of colours:
Four process colours plus high gloss litho varnish and silver foil
Stamp size and format:
35mm x 45.6mm (vertical)
Miniature sheet size and format:
115mmx 102mm (horizontal)
Paper Type:
Tullis Russell 104gsm red phosphor gummed stamp paper
Number of stamps per sheet:
25
Perforation gauge:
14.286 x 13.895
Special blocks:
Plate/imprint blocks may be obtained by purchasing at least six stamps from a sheet. Barcode blocks are available in A and B formats.
Period of sale:
Unless stocks are exhausted earlier, these stamps will remain on sale until 19 October 2018. First-day covers will remain on sale until 21 January 2018.


Some of the images in this post were used with permission from the illustrated catalogue of StampsNZ
You can visit their website and Online Catalogue at, http://stampsnz.com/

Information for this post came from.