Memorable moments from the life of the Prince of Wales are included in a commemorative sheet containing ten 1st class postage stamps and stamp labels issued to mark the 60th birthday of the future King of England, on Friday November 14, his actual birthday.

The labels, attached to the 1st class Welsh definitive stamps, will bring back many happy memories of notable events in the life of Prince Charles for older readers of The Times. In particular, his Christening in the Music Room at Buckingham Palace by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Geoffrey Fisher, on December 15 that year, and his Investiture as the Prince of Wales, by his mother The Queen, during a spectacular ceremony at Caernarfon Castle on July 1, 1969.

These stamp labels also depict informal pictures of a happy Prince Charles pictured with Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa, and comedians Eric Morecombe and Ernie Wise. Further photographs and information about the life of the Prince of Wales are illustrated in a souvenir pack supplied with the sheet. These include his education, his love of painting, playing polo, the work of the Prince’s Trust, his interest in architecture and his wide ranging charitable patronage.

The engaging bilingual sheet, produced for the philatelic market in Welsh and English, will appeal to stamp collectors and devotees of all things connected with the Royal Family. It has been thoughtfully designed by Sedley Place, an independent company of designers based in south London, and printed by French security printer Cartor, using the litho process. The sheet, price £13.50 is available by mail order from Royal Mail Tallents House based in Edinburgh and at selected post offices. Unfortunately Royal Mail has chosen to sell this commemorative sheet at a premium over face value of the 1st class stamps as a way of making extra revenue from stamp collectors. As a result this philatelic item will not be listed in the famous Stanley Gibbons stamp catalogue.

This is the third special Royal Mail commemorative sheet and follows issues to mark the centenary of the Territorial Army released in April and the 1908 London Olympic Games Centenary on July 24 2008. These sheets are used by Royal Mail as a way of marking anniversaries and events that did not make it into the stamp programme. What a great pity that Royal Mail did not take the opportunity and issue a special set of commemorative postage stamps to mark this important milestone in the life of the Prince of Wales.

Despite the Royal Mail Stamp Department’s mistaken belief, there are still millions of people throughout the world, particularly those who live in the former British Empire, who collect and eagerly await new stamps depicting members of the Royal Family.

The island of Jersey is also celebrating the Prince of Wales 60th birthday with a special £4 value stamp (issued in sheetlets of four) depicting a magnificent portrait of the HRH The Prince of Wales, also printed by Cartor. After 12 months this fine commemorative stamp will become the £4 definitive stamp in the current range on sale on post offices in Jersey. Royal Mail please take note.

The Prince of Wales is no stranger to Jersey having visited the Island on a number of occasions and Jersey Post has incorporated the single stamp into an attractive miniature sheet that shows a relaxed Prince of Wales pictured with his sons Prince William and Prince Harry, during a skiing holiday at Klosters in Switzerland.