For the British, it's a revolution.
The new stamps bearing the effigy of King Charles III, which will go on sale from April 4, were unveiled on Wednesday by the British post office.
After more than 55 years with the same stamp representing Elizabeth II, in force since 1967, the face will thus change with the new sovereign.
Today, we reveal our new definitive stamp featuring the image of King Charles III.
The image of HM The King is an adapted version of the portrait created by Martin Jennings for The Royal Mint.
The stamps will go on general sale from April 4, 2023. pic.twitter.com/TbKlmclO5X
— Royal Mail (@RoyalMail) February 8, 2023
For the first time, the monarch appears without a crown or royal symbol, an image that he obviously validated himself.
"The instructions we received were that he wanted it to be simple," Royal Mail's director of external affairs, David Gold, told the BBC.
The design of the stamp was made from a sculpture by artist Martin Jennings, the same one used for the new coins bearing the image of the king.
The image was then digitally adapted to be applied to the stamps.
King Charles III thus becomes the seventh monarch to appear on stamps, a tradition that began in 1840 with Queen Victoria.
Elizabeth II stamps sold while supplies last
British postage stamps are unique in that they do not mention the name of the country.
These new stamps display nothing but the king's head, the price, and an attached barcode.
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Millions of new stamps are being printed.
They will be used at the same time as those of Queen Elizabeth II, which will be sold while old stocks are exhausted.