PRESS RELEASE
S/45/09/15
South Georgia - HM Queen Elizabeth II: Britain’s Longest Reigning Monarch
On 9th September 2015, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II becomes the longest reigning Monarch in
British history, surpassing the reign of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.
To celebrate this extraordinary milestone South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are proud to
release this special new issue as part of a series together with Ascension Island, Bahamas, British
Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands and Tristan da Cunha.
Queen Victoria came to the throne aged 18 and died in 1901 when she was 81, an incredible reign of
63 years and 216 days (23,226 days, 16 hours and 23 minutes) that defined an era and a people. In her
journal Victoria recorded that “Today is the day I have reigned longer, by a day, than any English
sovereign”. The Victorians responded enthusiastically to her historic milestone yet, like our current
Queen, Victoria did not encourage any celebrations ahead of the day.
Yet for Queen Elizabeth II to become the longest reigning of the forty-one kings and queens of
England since the Norman Conquest is without doubt an historic achievement. Like Victoria,
Elizabeth II is much loved and during a lifetime of service has provided a reassuring and enduring
source of stability in a fast and ever changing world.
Elizabeth’s reign has seen more developments, achievements and records than any other. According
to Guinness World Records she holds the world record for the most currencies featuring the same
individual. Her Diamond Jubilee river pageant in 2012 set a new world record for the number of
boats in a parade. She was the first British monarch to have sent an email, to have a message placed
on the moon, to have conducted a royal 'walkabout' and to have held a public concert in her back
garden.
This series of postage stamps depict Her Majesty since her coronation with many familiar and iconic
images from her reign.
70p Her Majesty is shown against coronation publications from 1953.
(Photo credit AFP/Getty Images).
80p Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh meets the Doctors at Leith Harbour, South Georgia where he
visited aboard the Royal Yacht. The introductions were captured in colour by John Alexander, an
electrician at the Harbour. The portrait of Her Majesty was taken at the Embassy in Paris. (Photo by
Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images).
90p Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as QE2, was an ocean liner from 1969 – 2008 and until
2004 served as Cunard’s flagship. In May 1982 the ship took part in the Falklands Conflict. She was
refitted in Southampton in preparation for war service, including the installation of two helicopter
pads, the transformation of public lounges into dormitories, the installation of fuel pipes that ran
through the ship down to the engine room to allow for refuelling at sea and the covering of carpets
with 2,000 sheets of hardboard. A quarter of the ship’s length was reinforced with steel plating and an
anti-magnetic coil was fitted to combat Naval Mines. Over 650 Cunard crew members volunteered for
the voyage to look after the 3,000 members of the Fifth Infantry Brigade, which the ship transported
to South Georgia. During the voyage the ship was blacked out and the radar switched off to avoid
detection, steaming on without modern aids. The QE2 returned to the UK in June 1982, where she
was greeted in Southampton Water by The Queen Mother on board the Royal Yacht Britannia. The
image of Her Majesty was taken at a banquet in Papua New Guinea in 1982. (Photo by Tim
Graham/Getty Images).
£1.25 The Princess Royal visited South Georgia in 2009 at the invitation of the South Georgia Heritage
Trust, of which she is a patron. Here she can be seen visiting Shackleton’s grave. The image of Her
Majesty was taken in the same year. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images).
Technical details:Designer
Printer
Process
Perforation
Stamp size
Sheet Layout
Release date
Production Co-ordination
Andrew Robinson
BDT International
Lithography
14 per 2 cms
28.45 x 42.58mm
10
9 September, 2015
Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd
For further information, please contact Charles Pobjoy
Pobjoy Mint Ltd, Tel: +44 (0) 1737 818181, Fax: +44 (0) 1737 818199
Email: charles@pobjoy.com or Avril Hadden email: ahadden@pobjoy.com
www.pobjoystamps.com