Queen to appear on British postage stamps

June 24 (UPI) -- British rock band Queen will appear on new postage stamps in the U.K.

Britain's Royal Mail unveiled a series of stamps Tuesday featuring Queen's Brian May, Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury and John Deacon. Mercury died at age 45 in 1991.

"With their truly original, theatrical sound and effortless ability to mix musical styles, Queen are rock royalty. We pay tribute to one of the most loved bands of all time with these stunning stamps," Royal Mail's Philip Parker said in a statement.

The Royal Mail will release the 13-stamp set July 9, with pre-orders available now. The series features eight of Queen's album covers, including Queen II and News of the World, a classic photo of the band and four shots from live shows.

"It's hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps," Queen guitarist Brian May said. "Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true."

"Sometimes it's strange to wake up and realize the position in which we now held -- we have become a national institution!" he said of the group's success. "And nothing brings this home more than this incredible tribute from Royal Mail."

The Royal Mail previously honored the Beatles in 2007 and Pink Floyd in 2016.

May and Taylor continue to perform as Queen + Adam Lambert with singer Adam Lambert. The group released a new version of Queen's song "We Are the Champions," titled "You Are the Champions," in April to raise funds for coronavirus (COVID-19) relief.