Queen Elizabeth II, Silver Jubilee

The monarchy is a valid expression of Canadian society and a useful governmental institution with roots deep in our history. For these reasons and because of our great affection for the present sovereign, Canadians will long remember the Silver Jubilee of Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth The Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith. The Queen was born in London on 21 April 1926, the first child of the Duke and Duchess of York, subsequently King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. Early in 1942 the Princess became Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, and on her sixteenth birthday carried out her first public engagement when she inspected the regiment. In a broadcast on her twenty-first birthday, she dedicated herself to serving the Commonwealth, a pledge she repeated on her accession to the throne on 6 February 1952 when her father suddenly died. It took several hours for the sad news to reach the new Queen, because she had undertaken a tour on the King's behalf and was visiting a remote part of the Kenyan forest. Queen Elizabeth herself defined the work of the Crown in Canada. "The role of a constitutional monarch is to personify the democratic state," she noted, later adding that "the Crown is an idea more than a person, and 1 would like the Crown in Canada to represent everything that is best and most admired in the Canadian ideal." Consequently, by being above political and regional strife, the Queen nurtures national unity. The Queen, as the reigning monarch, also upholds democracy. In personifying all the people she stands higher than elected officials and is a permanent reminder to them that they are servants of the public. "The Crown has ratified the rights and presence of French Canada as no other Canadian institution has done." For example, on formal and state occasions anywhere in Canada, governors-general have continuously used French. The Crown symbolizes our "belief in the equal dignity of each individual. A king is a king not because he is rich, aggressive, well-educated or influential, but because of birth, the most common denominator in the world. On a planetary scale, the Queen links us to our Western European heritage and to our partners in the Commonwealth. The Silver Jubilee is thus an ideal time for Canadians to reflect on the benefits of constitutional monarchism. The stamp commemorating the 25th anniversary of Her Majesty's accession to the throne features a photographic portrait study of the Queen by the British photographer Peter Grugeon. The photograph is reproduced with the permission of Camera Press, London, England. In this formal portrait, Queen Elizabeth wears a mauve satin dress embroidered with pearls and rhinestones, the Garter sash and star with Family Orders, and a diamond and pearl tiara, necklace and earrings. This stamp introduces a new typeface on Canadian stamps Cartier - developed by the late Carl Dair and modified in some details to compensate for the effects of miniaturization on postage stamps. The layout for the stamp was created by Toronto designer Ken Rodmell. A special feature of this stamp, seen for the first time on a Canadian issue, is foil stamping. The denomination "25" has been silver stamped to draw attention to its double significance for this issue celebrating Her Majesty's Silver Jubilee.