Does King Charles III own all the swans in the United Kingdom? The short answer is yes.
His Majesty specifically owns any unclaimed mute swan in open water in both England and Wales in a ceremonial fashion. This has been a law since medieval times. His ownership is shared with the Worshipful Company of Dyers, granted to them by the Crown in the 1400s.
Every year, there is a census of all the swans in the River Thames. This is called Swan Upping and occurs in the third week of July each year.
Swan Upping takes place for five days beginning around 8:45 am BST. Local school children are invited to watch this event every year.
During this time, His Majesty’s Swan Marker, the Royal Swan Uppers, and the Swan Uppers of the Vintners’ and Dyers’ use six traditional Thames rowing skiffs while they take part in their travels up-river.
Traditional outfits of scarlet uniforms are worn during the ceremony. Every boat flies the applicable flags and pennants, as well.
According to the monarchy, “When a brood of cygnets is sighted, a cry of ‘All up!’ is given to signal that the boats should get into position.” Then as the boats pass Windsor Castle, all the Swan Uppers stand at attention in their boats with oars raised into the air. While at attention, they salute ‘[His Majesty The King], Seigneur of the Swans’.”
It is not an event usually marked by royal attendance, and Queen Elizabeth II only attended the event once during her long reign.
During Swan Upping, the swans are weighed and measured, so that there is a record of their growth rate each year. Further, they are examined to check for any sign of injury, which is commonly attributed to fishing lines and hooks. After the Swan Upping has been completed every July, His Majesty’s Swan Marker releases a report that provides data about the number of all swans that were accounted for.
While it may seem like a strange event to some, the Swan Upping actually assists researchers in discovering worrying trends, regarding the population of swans in the river. For example, the population decreased quickly in the 1980s due to swallowing lead fishing weights being used by the fishermen in the area. This resulted in the weights being banned. Within the next few years, the swan population increased.
While an unknown royal tradition, the Swan Upping continues King Charles’s passion for conservation.
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