Cover produced in 2000 to commemorate the Queen Mother`s Century. The cover artwork is made up of photographs taken during the Queen Mother`s lifetime including Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain, The King and herself along side Winston Churchill during WWII, with her daughter HM The Queen, HRH Prince Philip, HRH Princess Anne and HRH Prince Charles on Buckingham Palace balcony, sitting next to two soldiers, with the Red Arrows at RAF Cranwell, with HM Queen and HRH Princess Margaret and inspecting troops.
The cover has been flown in a Twin Squirrel of No 32 (The Royal) Squadron from RAF Northolt to RAF Brize Norton and return. The cover bears Queen Mother`s Century 10c Caymon Islands 10c stamp cancelled with Crown Agents Stamp Burean Cachet.
Signed by Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP - Leader of the Liberal Democrats
175 Numbered and Certified on reverse
Cover size 210mm x 120mm
Born in Inverness in 1959, he was brought up and educated in Fort William, and attended Glasgow University. Following his graduation in 1982, he worked as a journalist and broadcaster with BBC Highland in Inverness.
He was then awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to attend Indiana University in the United States. In 1983 he was working towards a PhD at Indiana when the opportunity arose to seek the SDP nomination for Ross, Cromarty and Skye. He made a flying visit home, won the ballot and returned full time to the UK in April. The general election followed and less than six weeks later he was elected to the House of Commons, defeating the sitting government minister to become the youngest MP of the time.
During his term in parliament he has acted as a spokesperson on issues ranging from the welfare state to Europe, agriculture and rural affairs. He has served on the All-Party Select Committee that introduced the televising of the chamber. He was the first SDP MP to back the merger with the Liberals after the 1987 general election, and moved a successful motion to this effect at the party conference that year.
Charles Kennedy was elected UK Party President, the equivalent of party chairman, in 1990, and served in that post until 1994. In August 1999 he was elected as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats, and he was appointed to the Privy Council in October 1999.
