New Issue: The Princess Royal's 75th Birthday (Jersey)

Why is it that Jersey issues far more stamps dedicated to our Royal Family than Royal Mail does?

They have had 24 Royal-themed stamp sets since 1973 and in my lifetime (I was born in 2012) there have been twelve.

These are:

Prince William’s 30th Birthday (2012)

The Queen’s 90th Birthday (2016)

William & Kate 5th Wedding Anniversary (2016)

The Queen & Prince Philip Platinum Wedding Anniversary (2017)

50th Anniversary of The Prince of Wales Investiture (2019)

Prince Philip - A Life of Service (2021)

The Queen's Platinum Jubilee (2022)

The Coronation of HM King Charles III (2023)

The Queen's Visits to Jersey (2023)

Crest of Jersey & HM King Charles III (2024)

Royal Visit 2024 (2025)

The Princess Royal's 75th Birthday (2025)

It's as if they use whatever excuse they can to put out yet another Royal set!

This one celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the Princess Royal. It is a set of six stamps that "highlights a variety of moments from Princess Anne’s visits to Jersey".

On Jersey Post's website, some additional information is provided:

"The Jersey Post stamp issue HRH The Princess Royal’s 75th Birthday celebrates 75 years of Princess Anne and her dedication to the public. The second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Princess Royal is King Charles II only sister and the seventh monarch to hold the title of Princess Royal."

Does anyone proof-read this? She certainly isn't Charles II's sister otherwise they would be marking her 400th birthday. As for being "the seventh monarch to hold the title of Princess Royal"... she is the seventh person to hold that title, yes - but she is not a monarch and almost certainly never will be.

More factually correct information states that the Princess "is president of Riding for the Disabled and attended Jersey's Riding for the Disabled event. In 1972 she became Patron of the Durrell Wildlife Trust and in 2010 presented the Army Cadet Force with berets to acknowledge completion of their basic training."

What do I make of this issue, which was released on 19th September?

Design Quality - Nothing much wrong with the design. it's not too exciting but it is sensible, clear and fitting for a Royal issue. 7/10

Theme and Subject Choice - Yet another Royal set? Jersey Post has tried to connect Princess Anne to the island by using photographs of historic visits and highlighting links with the Wildlife Trust and Riding for the Disabled, but it feels a bit weak. Surely there are so many better subjects for Jersey's commemorative stamps than a Royal birthday? 4/10

Historical and Cultural Relevance - There is some historical relevance in the photographs being used, which show some of the Princess's previous visits. 5/10

Innovation and Creativity - There's nothing much creative going on here - some old photographs pasted into an unadventurous frame. 3/10

Collectability -There are people who like Royal issues and I am one of them. I like collecting weddings, coronations, etc because these are important historical events. This just feels like Jersey Post is using the birthday as an excuse to create yet another set aimed at these collectors, but does that actually make them collectable?  5/10

Personal Appeal - I'm sorry but I'm not a fan. Sometimes stamps are little works of art but this set just seems to be yet another unexciting issue aimed at collectors of Royal themed stamps. The "additional information" section on the website I think sums up the level of effort that has gone into this set. 2/10

Overall score: 26/60