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Timeline

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Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born on 21 April 1926, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of York, and first grandchild of King George V. Due to the 1936 abdication of her uncle Edward VIII, her father unexpectedly became King George VI. This set Elizabeth on a new course, to become Queen.

 

 

Birth of Princess Elizabeth

1926

1926 one penny stamp with head of King George V

First grandchild of King George V

George V Silver Jubilee

1935

1935 stamp for the Silver Jubilee of King George V 

Edward VIII

1936

1936 stamp featuring head of King Edward VIII from a photograph by Hugh Cecil

Acceded 20 January 1936, abdicated 10 December 1936

George VI Coronation

1937 

1937 stamp for the coronation of King George VI

Wedding of Princess Elizabeth &  Prince Philip

1947 

1947 postmark to celebrate wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Slogan postmark in place of a special stamp 

Birth of Prince Charles

1948

1948 proposed stamp design to mark birth of Prince Charles

Proposed stamp issue 

Accession to the throne

1952

1952 definitive stamp issued following accession of Queen Elizabeth

Portrait by Dorothy Wilding

Coronation

1953 

1953 stamp designed by Edmund Dulac to mark coronation of Queen Elizabeth 

Death of Sir Winston Churchill

1965 

1965 Churchill stamp with reduced size Wilding portrait of The Queen

With reduced cameo head 

First use of cameo profile portrait

1966 

1965 proposed stamp with first use of cameo profile of The Queen

By David Gentleman based on the coinage head of Mary Gillick

New Machin portrait

1967

1967 definitive stamp design by Arnold Machin featuring the sculptured head of The Queen

Sculpture by Arnold Machin used to the present day on definitives

Silver Wedding

1972

1972 stamp to celebrate the Silver Wedding of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Photograph by Norman Parkinson

Silver Jubilee

1977

1977 Queen Elizabeth Silver Jubilee stamp based on the 1935 George V stamp

Based on the 1935 Jubilee design

25th Anniversary of the Coronation

1978

1978 stamp marking 25 years since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 

60th Birthday

1986 

1986 stamp issued to celebrate the sixtieth birthday of The Queen 

40th Anniversary of the Accession

1992

1992 stamp marking 40 years since the accession of Queen Elizabeth 

Golden Wedding

1997

1997 stamp celebrating the Golden Wedding anniversary of The Queen and Prince Philip

Photograph by Lord Snowdon

Golden Jubilee

2002 

2002 stamp for The Queens Golden Jubilee from a photograph by Tim Graham 

50th Anniversary of the Coronation

2003

2003 stamp marking 50 years since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth 

80th Birthday

2006

2006 eightieth birthday stamp showing The Queen in her sixties