Princess Elizabeth

Princess Elizabeth was the subject of several stamps from the Commonwealth, in particular Newfoundland, Canada and New Zealand.

The Commonwealth stamps were based on photographs by Marcus Adams, Cecil Beaton, Dorothy Wilding and others. Another court photographer, Bertram Park, made a collection of these and other royal photographs (in particular of King George VI), most signed by the creator. This is the first time some of these photographs have been shown in public.

No stamp was issued for the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947, which caused an outcry. However, in 1948, there was a proposal for a stamp for the birth of their first child, or rather King George VI's first grandchild.

Designs were commissioned from Percy Metcalfe and Reynolds Stone. A design by Metcalfe showing portraits of the parents with a representation of the baby was recommended for the 2½d stamp, but nothing then came of the proposal. No reason for the abandonment of this stamp issue is given in official files, but the King was known to have been cool on the idea, and may have considered this too personal a subject for such a public display.