Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs feature on Royal Mail stamp marking King’s coronation

By IANS
LONDON: A stamp depicting Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims and their places of worship feature on one of the four stamps issued by the Royal Mail to mark the coronation of King Charles III on May 6.

Captioned “Diversity and Community”, the stamp reflects a multi-faith community and the cultural diversity of contemporary British society, a news release stated.

The stamp features figures representing the Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Buddhist religions and is representative of all faiths and none.

“The background shows aspects of both rural and urban Britain and includes some of the many different places of worship that are found around the United Kingdom,” the release noted.

Presented in a miniature sheet, the stamps illustrate the Coronation ceremony and the traditional street party, as well as some of the causes His Majesty has dedicated his years of public service to.

This includes cultural diversity and community, the global ties of the Commonwealth, which he now leads, and sustainability and biodiversity.

This is only the third time in history that Royal Mail has issued stamps to mark a Coronation. The previous two occasions were for King George VI in 1937 and Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

“Royal Mail is proud to issue this set of commemorative stamps which celebrate the Coronation, and some of the causes which His Majesty has championed throughout his many years of public service,” Simon Thompson, Chief Executive of Royal Mail, said. “This is only the third time we have issued Coronation stamps and I am delighted that they mark the start of a new reign and a new chapter in our history,” Thompson added.

The stamps were designed by Atelier Works and feature newly commissioned wood engravings by British artist Andrew Davidson.

Royal Mail will also be applying a special postmark to stamped mail to mark the event. The postmark will run from April 28 until May 10.