Basutoland (Lesotho) 'Royal Visit' of King George VI and His Family in 1947

BASUTOLAND (later Lesotho) issued on 11 March 1947 a First Day Cover commemorating the 'Royal Visit' of King George VI and his family to Basutoland. A set of four stamps was released to mark the occasion. Serial number for this limited edition is 1,772.

Basutoland was a British Crown colony that existed from 1884 to 1966 in present-day Lesotho, bordered with the Cape Colony, Natal Colony and Orange River Colony until 1910 and completely surrounded by South Africa from 1910. Though the Basotho (then known as Basuto) and their territory had been under British control starting in 1868 (and ruled by Cape Colony from 1871), the Cape Colony was unpopular and unable to control the territory. As a result, Basutoland was brought under direct authority of Queen Victoria, via the High Commissioner. Basutoland gained its independence from the United Kingdom on 4 October 1966 and was renamed the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Source: Wikipedia