Queen Elizabeth II 25th Anniversary Coronation First Day Cover, Dominica postmarked on June 2, 1978.

Dominica

One Sunday in 1493, on his second /voyage, Columbus came upon a mountainous island covered with lush forests of bamboo, mahogany, cedar, tree ferns and palms, and made landfall. He called the island 'Dominica', meaning 'Sunday'. A century and a half later, the local inhabitants had valiently kept both French and British from invading their island and it was assigned by treaty to them. The French, however, eventually moved in regardless, and today all that remains of the Carib nation is a small community of 500, in the interior of the island. In 1805 Dominica and its black volcanic beaches fell to the British, and today it is a self-governing dominion within the Commonwealth. The 70,000 islanders, mostly descendants of slaves from the sugar plantations, are warm-hearted and easy-going, earning their living by growing bananas, oranges, limes, grapefruit, mangoes and avocados for export, and other crops for subsistence.

This issue of Dominica celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Coronation was designed by Waddington, and shows three scenes from Coronation Day:

45c — Receiving Homage. Following the Crowning and Enthronement homage is begun by the Archbishop of Canterbury. This is a relic irom the days when the monarch received the kiss of vassalage, and pledges from knights that they would die in his service. Next the bishops promise to be faithful and true', followed by the Royal Princes and representatives of the Peer.

$2 — Balcony Scene. After her return from the Abbey in the Coronation Coach, the Queen appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to acknowledge the cheers of the crowd below. Shortly after there also appeared the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, and then the Queen Mother. Three groups of 24 Meteor jets flew over, followed by Royal Canadian Sabres and more Meteors. The new Queen, smiling in Imperial State Crown and Coronation Robes, remained a further ten minutes for the crowd before retiring.

$2.50 — H.M. the Queen and Prince Philip. The Queen is shown wearing a tiara and the Order of the Garter. Prince Philip, born in Corfu in 1921, and becoming a naturalised British subject in 1947, is seen wearing naval uniform.