The regalia, also called state insignia, are objects that symbolize the power and dignity of a monarch, emperor or king. The Kingdom of the Netherlands also has its own regalia. The Dutch regalia were made by order of King Willem II in 1840 on the occasion of his inauguration. He had new ones made because he found the regalia of his abdicated father, King Willem I, too simple. The 5 regalia have been present at every inauguration since then. The Dutch regalia are the orb (symbol of the king's territory), the state standard (the banner with the Dutch coat of arms), the scepter (symbol of the king's authority), the crown (sign of royal dignity) and the sword of state (symbol of the king's power).
The 5 stamps of the Regalia stamp sheet of the Kingdom of the Netherlands show free-standing photos of the 5 regalia against a blank, white background. The regalia are the imperial orb, the imperial standard, the scepter, the crown and the imperial sword. Next to each photo, a gold logo specially designed for this issue is depicted. At the bottom of the stamps is a short description of the meaning of the depicted regalia. The logo is repeated in enlarged form on the sheet edge, next to a short text about the origin of the Dutch regalia. On the right-hand side of the sheet edge is a rasterized representation of a monochrome gold imperial orb. The design of the stamps Regalia of the Kingdom of the Netherlands with 24-carat gold is almost identical to that of the regular regalia stamps. The stamps with 24-carat gold are framed in the same order as the regular stamp sheet.
The design of the stamp sheet Regalia of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the derived stamps with 24-carat gold was created by graphic designer Frank Janse from Gouda.
