A set of stamps highlighting the Queen’s connection to the island are set to be released this month to celebrate her position as the longest reigning monarch.

The three-stamp collection features photographs of Her Majesty taken during recent visits to the island. The First Day Cover also features a portrait of the Queen painted by former Bermuda resident Henry Ward, which was personally unveiled by the Queen last year.

Philatelist Horst Augustinovic said that the addition of the portrait came late in the process, after the stamps had been approved.

“We had already finalised this with the royal cipher and we opened The Royal Gazette that morning and there was the story about the painting,” he said. “I thought gee, I know Henry from way back, and I called his mother. He called back within an hour or two, but we had to get permission from all sorts of people.”

He said that in order for the stamps to become a reality, they have to be approved by several parties, including Buckingham Palace itself.

Mr Ward said he was flattered to have his painting included in the collection, saying: “It was very kind of Horst to suggest it, but also we’re delighted that Her Majesty has approved it.

“That she has given us her permission to use this is very flattering, I think.”

He said he was “deeply honoured” to not only have the Queen herself unveil the portrait — something that is rarely done — but then to have the painting garner international attention.

“The media took it and it went all over the world,” he said. “It was the front page of The Times, it was on media outlets around the world. It just spooled everywhere.

“It was lovely to be able to do the whole project. It was a great undertaking.

“It took a year to paint it, and I think a lot of people forget that the Queen is 92 years old. When I painted her, she was 90. It’s a difficult balance to get, between the eternal quality of the Queen, the gravitas of the position, but at the same time not overly paint wash it so she looks unrealistic or too young. It’s a very difficult balance.

“I was very honoured to do it. The experience of meeting her was wonderful, and I was honoured that she unveiled it herself.”

Discussing the details of the portrait, he said the arrangement of her Garter Robes beneath her was intended to convey her sovereignty of the island nation, while the door behind her is decorated with iconography including the sphinx, a phoenix and a lamb.

“These doors were rebuilt for Her Majesty after Windsor Castle burnt down, so these are all very specific images pertinent to the Queen,” he said. “It could have been a black backdrop or a Red Cross arrangement. I had to find something to highlight her divine status, and I was able to work that into the work.”