Flying Scotsman at 100: Iconic Doncaster loco on last stamps to feature Queen's head

Issued by the Royal Mail, the special stamps mark the centenary of the locomotive which rolled out of Doncaster’s Plant Works in 1923.

The familiar version of Queen Elizabeth II's silhouette has appeared on special stamps since 1968 and they will go on general release next week.

Future commemorative stamps will show a silhouette of King Charles III.

Such sets of special stamps have long-term planning schedules, and the Royal Mail has kept to publication plans made before the late Queen's death last September.

The farewell stamps show the steam locomotive in settings including North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Berwick-on-Tweed and Victoria Station in London.

The series also shows poster artwork from the 1920s and 1930s, with Royal Mail spokesman David Gold saying the stamps evoke "the golden age of steam travel".

During her reign, the late Queen's head appeared on hundreds of special issues of stamps, on themes ranging from Concorde, Star Trek and endangered species to Sherlock Holmes.

This release marks the end of the Queen appearing on such commemorative stamps, but existing stocks of regular first and second class stamps showing the Queen's head will be used until they run out.

The new King Charles stamp, to be phased in over the forthcoming months, has already been revealed by the Royal Mail, showing a very minimalist design without a crown.

The current silhouette of the late Queen, based on a 1950s image of her in her 20s, was first used in 1968 on stamps celebrating British bridges.