Lhe Queen Elizabeth owns – and protects – them all, from England to Wales, but after losing 33 swans since the start of a bird flu epidemic which struck the whole country, the sovereign was forced to have another 26 of the hundreds who permanently stay on the banks of the Thames, near her residence, Windsor Castle, demolished.
Elizabeth II accompanied by David Barber, head of the Royal Swans, attends the census on the Thames, July 2009 (Getty Images)
The difficult decision of Queen Elizabeth
The sovereign said she was saddened by the loss and asked David Barber, the expert responsible for maintaining the swans Royal, as well as the inspections currently underway on the banks of the Thames, to update her frequently on the situation. Elisabetta, decidedly practical spirit, he hopes that the necessary culling of a few dozen will be enough to protect in the long run all the other free swans that populate British rivers and streams.
But Elizabeth II is not alone in owning the Royal Swans
The sovereign takes the ancient tradition very seriously that binds it to the protection of swans and to its role as protector, so much so that it boasts an official title, that of Seigneur of the Swans, lady of the swans. However, under a strange agreement signed in the fifteenth century, Elizabeth owns her swans in co-ownership with the Worshipful Company of Vintners and the Worshipful Company of Dyers, two ancient London companies, the first of vintners and the second of expert dyers.
Queen Elizabeth, Lady of the Swans, does not eat them
The swans are surveyed every year, in July, on the occasion of the traditional Swan Upping (“Raising of the swans”), an operation that has taken place since the 12th century. But if at the time the census was carried out to ensure a constant supply of delicious meats for the king’s table, today the event is limited to protecting the mute swans, examining them one by one to check their state of health annually.
Read the new book of iO Donna, Princesses become! From Kate Middleton to Meghan Markle
Buy it at newsstands, or order it online.
Listen to the free podcast about British royalty
iO Donna © REPRODUCTION RESERVED