On 8 September 2022, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away at the age of 96. Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on 21 April 1926, Queen Elizabeth reigned as Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms for 70 years and 214 days, the longest of any British monarch and the longest recorded of any female head of state in history.
Since her first appearance on a one penny (1d) Australian stamp in 1947, HM Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022) has featured on more Australian stamps than any other person in history, with 120 appearances. As we remember her 70-year reign, let's take a look back at some of the many stamps where her image has been featured.
Queen Elizabeth II’s first appearance on an Australian stamp came in 1947, when she featured on the one penny (1d) Australian stamp in memory of her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh (1921-2021). At the time she had not ascended the throne, so was featured as Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth.
By the time of the Queen’s Accession in 1952, it was a long-established policy to feature the monarch on most definitive (ongoing) stamps, including the base rate value. The first Queen Elizabeth II definitive stamps issued in 1953-54 and included a three and a half pence (3½d) value for basic letter postage.
The Queen also appeared on the 1954 7 1/2d stamp to commemorate her first visit to Australia, and in 1966 for the country’s first decimal stamp – with a value of 4 cents. New stamps that were required after postal rate changes normally involved a change of royal portraits. For decimal currency in 1966, the fourth Queen’s portrait stamp series was issued.
Gallery of Queen Elizabeth II on Australian Stamps
Gallery of Queen Elizabeth II on Australian Stamps
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/1947 Her Royal Highness The Princess Elizabeth 1d stamp -
/1954 Royal Visit 7 1/2d stamp -
/1966 First Australian Decimal 4c stamp -
/1999 Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 45c stamp -
/2001 Queen's Birthday 45c stamp -
/2002 Queen's Birthday 45c stamp -
/2004 Queen's Birthday 1954 Royal Tour Jubilee 50c stamp -
/2006 Queen's Birthday 50c stamp -
/2008 Queen's Birthday 50c stamp -
/2009 Queen's Birthday 55c stamp -
/2011 Queen's Birthday 60c stamp -
/2014 Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee 60c stamp -
/2014 Queen's Birthday 70c stamp -
/2015 Long May She Reign 70c stamp -
/2015 Long May She Reign 70c stamp -
/2015 Long May She Reign 70c stamp -
/2015 Long May She Reign $2.75 International stamp -
/2015 Long May She Reign $2.75 International stamp -
/2015 Queen's Birthday 70c stamp -
/2016 Queen's Birthday $1 stamp -
/2017 Queen's Birthday $1 stamp -
/2018 Queen's Birthday $1 stamp -
/2019 The Queen's Birthday $1 stamp -
/2020 The Queen's Birthday $1.10 stamp
In 1973, a change of policy involved dropping the Queen from day-to-day stamps, causing an uproar amongst many royalists. To appease their complaints, the Queen’s day-to-day stamps were replaced with annual commemorative stamps, the first of which was released to commemorate the Queen’s birthday in 1980.
Since that time, one or two stamps have been issued in Australia every year to commemorate the Queen’s Birthday or major royal anniversaries. One of the most popular was the 1999 stamp featuring a photo of Queen Elizabeth II side by side with the Queen Mother.
The Queen’s last appearance was for this year’s Platinum Jubilee, where she featured on two stamps. The letter rate stamp featured a photograph of the Queen on 15 April 1952, taken just weeks into her 70-year reign. The photo was taken as part of a series of 59 portraits and forms part of the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, London. While the second featured a photograph of the Queen attending an event to mark the centenary of British Airways, in 2019.
National Day of Mourning in Australia 2022
National Day of Mourning in Australia 2022
The Prime Minister has announced that the National Day of Mourning for HM Queen Elizabeth II on 22 September 2022 will be recognised as a National public holiday. The day coincides with the National Memorial Service in Australia. One minute’s silence will be observed at 11:00am.
This will be a one-off national public holiday to allow people to pay their respects for the passing of the Queen.
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This content was produced on 15 September 2022 and will not be updated.
Previous stamp issues featuring Queen Elizabeth II
Previous stamp issues featuring Queen Elizabeth II
