Tonga’s Royal Visit Postal-Card

Tonga, in line with most of the other countries which Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edin burgh have visited on their present Royal Tour, expected to have a special stamp to mark the occasion. It was to be an overprint 8d stamp of the present issue—but so great was the advance demand for the stamp, from collectors all over the world, that there just were not sufficient of these stamps to meet the demand. The whole plan was therefore cancelled. A pity,

because, as a corres pondent has pointed out, sale of the stamps to philatelists would probably have paid for the Royal visit.

Tonga was not without its postal souvenir, however. Mr. August Hettig, well-known photographer, of Nukualofa,

had these post-cards printed and when complete with the striking red 3(?) stamp of the Kingdom they were very popular with visitors to Tonga, and with those who were fortunate enough to receive them.