THE pageantry and splendour of the Trooping the Colour parade is enjoyed by millions of people worldwide and dates back to 1748, when it was first created to celebrate the birthday of King George II.

Now, for the first time, Royal Mail honours the Queen's birthday by bringing this glorious event into focus on six stamps.

The stamps feature images of The Queen, Prince Philip and highly detailed photographs of troops from within The Queen's Household Guard.

As with all previous stamp issues no silhouette of The Queen's head appears on the three stamps which include her.

Although The Queen's actual birthday is April 21, the Trooping the Colour has traditionally been held in June, in what has become the sovereign's "official" birthday.

The Queen stopped riding in the parade in 1986 after the death of her favourite charger Burmese. In 2002, and at 81, Prince Philip became the oldest person ever to have ridden in the parade.

But Prince Philip's involvement in this stamp issue does not end with his appearance on the £1.12 stamp - he also wrote the Trooping the Colour presentation pack in his capacity as Senior Colonel of the Household Division.

The lavishly illustrated presentation pack looks at the history of the Trooping the Colour from the accession of George IV up to the present day - and it is the first of a new design which sees the stamps and pack completely integrated to create a beautiful showcase for the stamps.

Trooping the Colour is also available as a miniature sheet featuring all six stamps offset against a rich red border, created from a close-up image of a uniform, and complemented by a swirling, silver script.

Julietta Edgar, Royal Mail's head of the philatelic sector, said: "Trooping the Colour is the most important royal parade of the year and we've tried to capture the pageantry and performance of this annual event in the stamps.

"It's a particularly special issue for us, as it's also the first time a member of the royal family has written a presentation pack."

The Shuttle/Times and News has teamed up with Royal Mail to run a competition where 20 readers can each win a set of the stamps.

To be in with a chance of winning, answer the following question:

Who is Senior Colonel of the Household Division? by

Friday, June 24.

Normal Newsquest rules apply.