The annual Swan Upping began today in London, England. The five-day census—which dates back to the twelfth century—counts swans and young cygnets belonging to the Queen, while watching for signs of injury or disease. According to Reuters, the ceremony began in the 1100s, when the Crown claimed ownership of all mute swans in the kingdom. “Today, the Crown retains the right to ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water, but the Queen only exercises her ownership on certain stretches of the River Thames and its surrounding tributaries.” The Swan Upping takes place on the third week of July every year, and collected below are images of the event from recent years.
Swan Upping on the River Thames
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Read moreA cygnet and a swan swim as the Sovereign's Swan Markers count the number of young cygnets to ensure that the swan population is maintained on the River Thames in Surrey, England, on July 16, 2007. #
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Read moreDavid Barber, the Queen's Swan Marker, holds a swan during the annual Swan Upping ceremony on the River Thames between Shepperton and Windsor on July 19, 2010. #
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Read moreTeams raise a toast at the end of the first day of the annual Swan Upping census on July 18, 2016 on the River Thames, South West London. #
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Read moreSwan Uppers use their boats to corral swans to check them during the annual Swan Upping swan count on the River Thames near London, on July 19, 2010. With a flurry of flapping wings and a cacophony of confused squeaking, the swan and her downy young cygnets were plucked from the river and passed from boat to shore. #
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Read moreSwan Upping crew capture swans and cygnets during the annual Swan Upping Census on the River Thames at Staines, Middlesex on July 17, 2017. #
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Read moreNeave Gilbert looks at a young cygnet after it is caught during the annual Swan Upping census on July 18, 2016. #
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Read moreA Mute Swan is carried to be weighed during the annual Swan Upping census on July 18, 2016. #
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Read moreBritain's Queen Elizabeth II, front left, accompanied by Swan Marker David Barber, front right on the boat, in the steam launch 'Alaska', watches a swan upper place a swan back into the river during a swan upping census on July 20, 2009. #
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Read moreDetail is seen on the uniform of a Barge Master as swans and cygnets are weighed, measured, inspected and recorded in the annual counting of The Queen's swans, known as 'Swan Upping', along the River Thames near Chertsey, on July 17, 2017. #
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Read more'Swan Uppers' make their way through a gaggle of swans on the River Thames on July 20, 2015. #
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Read moreA captured cygnet is measured on the bank of River Thames at Bray, on July 20, 2009. #
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Read moreA swan is released back onto the river during the annual Swan Upping census on July 17, 2017. #
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Read moreA swan is released back onto the river during the annual Swan Upping census on July 17, 2017. #
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Read moreA "Swan Upper" struggles with a swan on the River Thames during the annual Swan Upping census in Maidenhead, Berkshire, on July 20, 2009. #
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Read moreSwans and cygnets are weighed, measured, inspected and recorded in the annual counting of The Queen's swans near Chertsey, England, on July 17, 2017. #
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Read moreSwan Uppers use their boats to corral swans before lifting them out of the river near London on July 19, 2010. #
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Read moreThe Queen's Swan Marker David Barber holds a cygnet before removing a can ring-pull it had stuck on its beak during the annual Swan Upping swan count on July 19, 2010. #
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Read moreA member of the swan upping team wears his swan upping tie during the annual census on July 17, 2017 on the River Thames. #
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Read moreA cygnet is restrained whilst being examined during Swan Upping near Shepperton, England, on July 18, 2016. #
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Read moreSwans and cygnets are caught, measured, assessed and tagged on the River Thames during the annual Swan Upping ceremony on July 15, 2013. #
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Read moreSwan Upper Robert Coleman is attacked by a swan after falling into the River Thames on July 18, 2005. #
Peter Macdiarmid / Getty
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