The swans on the river Thames are jointly owned by the Sovereign and two city companies, or guilds, the Dyers and Vintners.

The rights of ownership dates from the middle ages, when Swan was considered to be a delicacy and was served at banquets.

Each July, swanmasters or swan-uppers of the Queen and the Dyers and Vintners, go out in boats decked with colourful banners, to perform the old ceremony of lifting and marking the swans.

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