Issue date: 22 May, 2004
On 22 May, the date of the wedding of the Prince of Asturias with Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, a stamp will be issued celebrating the happy event. The image will reproduce the Coat of Arms of His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias and the word Felicidades (Congratulations) in Spanish, Catalan, Galician and Basque, expressing the best wishes of all the Spanish people to the happy couple.
The Coat of Arms of the Prince of Asturias is described in Royal Decree 284/2001 of 16 March, which creates the Royal Standard of the Heir to the Throne, and is as follows: The banner is a square standard, surrounded entirely by gold piping, from which a golden fringe made of the same metal originates. The background is the same blue colour as the flag of the Principality of Asturias and its quartered shield is in the centre. The quarters are as follows: the 1 st of gules, with a three-towered castle Or, masoned Sable Azure, representing Castile; the 2 nd of argent, with a langued purple rampant lion and crowned with or, armed with gules, representing León; the 3 rd of gules, with four pallets gules, representing Aragon; the 4 th of gules, with a gold chain trim, in a diagonal and vertical cross, with a sinople point in the middle, representing Navarre; Argent enté en point, with a pomegranate proper seeded gules, supported, sculpted and leafed in two leaves Vert, which is for Granada. an escutcheon Azure with three fleurs-de-lys Or, bordure Gules, representing the Borbón family. The entire coat of arms is differenced by a label of three points Azure. The shield, crested with a closed crown, which is a circle of gold, with an inset of precious stones in their colours, composed of eight rosettes of acanthus leaves, of which five are visible, interspersed with pearls in their own colour, issuing from which are four pearl diadems, of which three are visible, which converge in a blue orb, with gold semi-meridian and equator, surmounted by a gold cross, the crown lined with red and surrounded by the collar of the Golden Fleece. The standard is a square flag, the same colour as the banner, with the same components, without the golden piping or the fringe. The Coat of Arms of the prince of Asturias differs from that of His Majesty the King by a three-foot azure lambel situated on a castle of or, representing Castile, and a rampant lion, for León, and is topped with the Prince's crown, closed with four diadems of pearls.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.