The annual Swan Upping continues a 12th century tradition on King Charles' behalf

The British royal traditions are many and varied in both scope and type and the history of each tends to be long and interesting. One such thing is the monarch's title as "Seigneur of the Swans" and this role played a part in a recent event that has been part of royal life since the 12th century.

According to People, King Charles III recently participated in the Swan Upping:

"Since the 12th century the British crown held the right to claim ownership of all unmarked swans swimming in open waters throughout the U.K. The Royal Swan Marker, currently David Barber, sets out with a team every July for an ancient tradition known as Swan Upping, the annual census of the swan population on the River Thames focused on a 79-mile stretch from Sunbury-on-Thames to Abingdon."

- Stephanie Petit

A video of the census-taking can be found on social media pages.

In the King's service

The skiffs, oars, and flags used in the Swan Upping bore the royal cypher that has been rolled out. While the cypher has been in use since the end of the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II, it is being more widely used and its display is up to the discretion of the organization using it.

In this case, the prominent use of the cypher denotes that the Royal Swan Marker is "working on behalf of the monarch." In addition, Barber's red jacket bore a patch that identified him as "His Majesty's Swan Marker."

Modern mindsets

As the week-long event has been carried out for several centuries its purpose has changed over time. Swans were sometimes used for royal feasts, but today's Swan Marker is concerned with the conservation of these birds:

"It's worth doing because if we didn't, the population of swans would just gradually disappear."

- David Barber

This is particularly important given decreasing numbers. According to the Swan Marker, there was a decrease in numbers of cygnets that was "anticipated due to the severity of the outbreak of Avian influenza in Autumn/Winter 2022." Thousands of swans in the country perished during that time, but Barber says that most of this year's cygnets were found to be "in very good condition."

No one in the Royal Family was able to attend this year, but past Swan Uppings have seen Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Anne taking an interest in the current swan population of the kingdom.