2011Queen Elizabeth 85th / Prince Philip`s 90th - Stamp Booklet

2011 is a special year for the Royal Family, with the celebration of the 85th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen, who has reigned for over five decades, and the 90th birthday of her husband, His Royal Highness Prince Philip. Although the Queen was born on 21 April, the tradition is for Her Majesty to celebrate her birthday on a Saturday in June - an event which is officially marked by Trooping the Colour. We have compiled some fascinating facts about this spectacular event, which this year takes place on 11 June:- •The Queen has attended Trooping the Colour every year of her reign, apart from 1955 when the event was cancelled due to a national rail strike. •A military ceremony dating back to at least the early eighteen century, Trooping the Colour has marked the Sovereign’s official birthday since 1748. •The Sovereign has taken the salute in person at Trooping the Colour from the reign of Edward VII onwards. •Trooping the Colour is carried out by fully trained and operational troops from the Household Division (Foot Guards and Household Cavalry) on Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall. It is watched by members of the Royal Family, invited guests and members of the public. •During the ceremony, The Queen inspects the troops and is greeted by a Royal salute. •The Queen rides in a carriage back to Buckingham Palace at the head of her Guards, before taking the salute at the Palace from a dais (platform). The troops then return to barracks. •Her Majesty joins other members of the Royal Family on the palace balcony for a fly-past by the Royal Air Force. Since the early years of their marriage through to celebrating the Queen’s 80th birthday [in 2006] our commemorative stamps have been chosen to capture the life of the Queen and Prince Philip as they took forward to a very special year. NOTE: The blue area in all stamps product in this issue, is a reflection of the actual color which should represent a silver tone.