Platinum Jubilee: Stamps issued to celebrate Queen's 70-year reign

Eight stamps celebrating the Queen's dedication to service have been issued to mark her Platinum Jubilee.

The Queen's 70th anniversary of ascending to the throne is on Sunday, becoming the first British monarch to reach the milestone.

The photographs show her reign over the decades, with the images on the first class stamps ranging from 1957 to 2020.

They show her official duties - from Trooping the Colour and walkabouts in the UK to international visits.

This stamp features the Queen and Prince Philip during a tour of the US

The Queen is pictured here on a 1966 visit to the West Indies

The photographs featured on the stamps are:

• The Queen alongside the Duke of Edinburgh on a tour to Washington DC in 1957

• A 1966 photo from a visit to St Vincent on a tour of the West Indies

• The Queen meeting flag-waving celebrants during her Silver Jubilee in London in 1977

• Saluting in uniform and on horseback during the 1978 Trooping the Colour

• A photo from a 1980 walkabout in Worcester

• Wearing her Order of the Garter robes in 1999

• Touring the Provincial Museum of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada in 2005

• A visit to the MI5 headquarters in 2020

This scene is from the Queen's Silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977

She is pictured her in uniform during the Trooping of the Colour in 1978

Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail, said: "These stamps are a celebration of the second Elizabethan Age and a tribute to a remarkable lifetime of duty and public service.

"We are honoured to be releasing them to mark the occasion of the first Platinum Jubilee in the UK's history, a momentous occasion."

This is a scene from a walkabout in Worcester in 1980

The Queen is pictured here wearing her Order of the Garter robes

The Queen's Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees were also marked with special stamp issues.

None of the set has the silhouette of the Queen normally required on special stamps printed on them, as her image is used in the actual design of the stamp - removing the need for the silhouette.

While the Queen's Accession Day falls on 6 February, a special four-day bank holiday weekend in June will be held to celebrate - with festivities including a concert at Buckingham Palace, a service of thanksgiving and a pageant on the Mall.

This image is from a visit to Canada in 2005

This stamp features the Queen on a visit to MI5's headquarters in 2020