Edward VIII became King on 20 January 1936, following the death of King George V.
Five definitive stamps were proposed, comprising 1d., 1½d., 2d., 3d., 1s4d. values, the design based on a recent photograph of the King in his Naval Uniform.
Following the King's abdication on 10 December 1936, it was decided to destroy all essays, trial and proof sheets, stamp sheets, and dies.
Only the original hand-painted essay, a sheet of stamp-size photographic essays, and a signed block of six 2d. stamps escaped destruction. |