Odd events in the Royal family's calendar
- Published
These swans are being weighed, measured and tagged by the Queen's swan markers. Since the twelfth century, they have been making sure the adult swans and their newborn cygnets are healthy. The Queen owns all the swans in the UK.
When you get to be 100-years-old, the Queen sends you a telegram in the post. It's a card in a special envelope with a personalised message from the Queen. This tradition of celebrating important days has been going since 1917.
Every night since the 14th century, the Chief Yeoman at the Tower of London passes the keys to a beefeater at exactly 9.53pm. They also say exactly the same things every night: "Who comes there?"... "The keys!"... "Whose keys?"... "Queen Elizabeth's keys".
Since 1213, the King or Queen has given money to elderly people in the UK the Thursday before Easter. Queen Elizabeth II gives 'Maundy money', which are silver coins, to people who are roughly her age that year.
Since Guy Fawkes tried to destroy Parliament in 1605, the State Opening of Parliament starts with a Yeoman with a candle-lantern searching for explosives.