The Royal Navy has a proud tradition as 'The Senior Service' dating back as an organised force - according to some historians - to Alfred the Great. In 1509, the newly-crowned King Henry VIII ordered a rearmament of the fleet and in this era great ships of 600 tonnes and more were built including the 'Mary Rose'. By the 17th century, King Charles I's major programme of warship building the Royal Navy had expanded further to become the most powerful in the world.
The Retail Stamp Book includes four First Class Definitives flanked by the two First Class commemorative stamps from the main issue featuring the 'Mary Rose' and HMS Queen Elizabeth - respectively the earliest and most recently commissioned of the Royal Navy ships featured in this issue.
The Gold 500 cover carries a striking contemporary image of the 'Mary Rose' framed by a sumptuous 22ct gold-blocked design together with a pictorial 'Mary Rose' Portsmouth handstamp. Numbered limited edition of 500.
