Posts by Robin Parkes
First Trooping the Colour for King Charles III Confirmed for 2023
The Palace have announced that King Charles III will continue the traditional summer birthday parade know as Trooping the Colour – with some key personnel changes.
The first event will take place on 17th June with the Regiments of the Household Division parading along The Mall from Buckingham Palace to Horse Guard’s Parade.
And for the first time Her Majesty The Queen Consort and The Princess of Wales will step up to new roles in the ceremony.
Camilla will take the post of Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, whilst Catherine will become Colonel of the Irish Guards – famous for their Irish Wolfhound mascot.
King Charles III assumes the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiments of the Household Division, leaving his previous position as Colonel of the Welsh Guards free for Prince William.
These are significant changes to the iconic display of British pageantry which has marked the birthday of the sovereign for over 260 years.
Consequently, collectable pieces marking the occasion are bound to be particularly sought after in 2023 – including the annual Trooping the Colour commemorative stamp cover which invariably sells out every year.
So keep checking back closer to the time to make sure you are don’t miss out on any commemorative issues marking the first Trooping the Colour for our new King.
If you’re interested…
The Westminster Collection still has some commemorative coins available marking Her Majesty the Queen’s last ever Trooping the Colour held earlier in 2022. Click here for details >>>
Special Poppy Coin to be used for 2021 FA Cup Final coin toss
A poppy coin, to mark the centenary of the Royal British Legion, will be used at this year’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Leicester City.
Watching the @EmiratesFACup final between @ChelseaFC and @LCFC? ⚽ Keep your eyes peeled for the coin toss featuring a limited edition 50 pence piece created by our partners @WestminsterGB to mark our centenary. #RBL100 #EmiratesFACup pic.twitter.com/h9UZeRhgwQ
— Royal British Legion (@PoppyLegion) May 15, 2021
On May 15, the day of the Final itself, the RBL celebrates its 100th anniversary and, more importantly, 100 years of support to those who have served with Her Majesty’s Armed Forces.
It all began in May 1921, in the aftermath of the First World War, when four national organisations of ex-Servicemen came together to give a unified voice to those facing the bleak reality of Britain after that deadly conflict.
In the years since, the RBL has adapted and enhanced its services and continues to support today’s serving and ex-serving personnel.
On behalf of the RBL, The Westminster Collection has produced a beautiful full-colour RBL Centenary 50p coin, which bears the image of Her Majesty the Queen on one side, and the two-petal poppy on the other.
Charles Byrne, Director General of the RBL, said: “We are grateful to the FA, as this bespoke commemorative coin from the RBL will be used for the coin toss at this year’s Emirates FA Cup final between Chelsea and Leicester City, to recognise both our support and the service of Her Majesty’s Armed Forces over the past century.”
You can watch the FA Cup Final between Leicester City FC and Chelsea FC live on BBC One on Saturday 15th May. Kick off is at 5:15pm with the coin toss shortly before.
Keep an eye on The Westminster Collection Facebook and Instagram for updates during the day, and follow The Royal British Legion on Twitter and Instagram.
If you’re interested…
You can see the full range of 2021 Poppy Coins here, and own your own limited edition featuring the same design as the coin used at the FA Cup Final… click here for details.
As Royal Mail’s new Songbird stamps hit the right note with collectors, BBC’s Chris Packham signs for Westminster…
4th May sees the release of Royal Mail’s stunning new Songbird stamps. As soon as we heard about the release of the stamps, we discussed who we could work with to create the ultimate presentation for collectors.
Chris Packham signing the limited edition Songbird Stamps Collector Card
It didn’t take long for us to unanimously agree that Chris Packham was our man!
Chris is one of today’s most highly respected television naturalists presenting BBC’s Springwatch, Autumnwatch & Winterwatch. And adding further to his CV, he proudly serves as Vice President of the RSPB.
Shortly after contacting him, we were delighted to hear Chris had agreed to sign 500 framed Songbirds stamp sets for us. Here he is at home signing the first of the collector cards.
Once these arrive back with us, they’ll be sent off to Royal Mail to have the stamps specially postmarked with the first day of issue postmark and then returned to us once again to have them professionally framed.
The full set of stamps features the Nightingale, Wren, Blackcap, Cuckoo, Yellowhammer, Great Tit, Goldcrest, Willow Warbler, Song Thrush and Skylark.
If you’re interested…
We’re now taking pre-orders for the special Chris Packham Signed Edition. Just 500 will be made featuring all the Songbirds stamps on a Framed Collector Card, postmarked with their first day of issue…
So if you want one, click here for details before they sell out.