The four new stamps - two first class and two international - are being printed Walsall Security Printing at a rate of 1m per hour. The stamps will be available from the 11,800 Post Office branches on Thursday 5th January 2012.

Royal Mail's Stephen Agar said: "People sending letters to friends or family in the UK and overseas tourists sending mail abroad will be able to commemorate this historic event by using these stamps to post their items. As we reach the 300 day countdown, it’s exciting to see millions of these stamps rolling off the printing presses."