THE Queen is to see the ancient ritual of her swans being counted on the River Thames for the first time.

The monarch has never before watched the royal custom of Swan Upping in person.

But this year, the Seigneur Of The Swans, as she is known during the historic ceremony, will travel upstream on a steamer flanked by a flotilla of skiffs to observe cygnets being weighed and measured between Eton and Abingdon.

The rowing boats, which are filled with scarlet-coated crews and fly flags and pennants, set sail every year on a week-long journey to undertake the annual census.

The Queen will meet swan warden Prof Christopher Perrins, swan marker David Barber and the team of swan uppers, whose job it is to corral, catch and mark the swans.

She will watch them at work from the safety of the Alaska steamer, which will pull alongside the riverbank, between Bovney Lock and Oakley Court, Windsor.

In 2005, one of the birds attacked swan upper Robert Coleman, seizing the chance to flap its wings at him after spotting Mr Coleman falling into the water.

Each year, on passing Windsor Castle, the rowers stand to attention in their boats with oars raised and salute ‘Her Majesty The Queen, Seigneur of the Swans’.

When a brood of cygnets is sighted, a cry of ‘All up!’ is given to signal that the boats should get into position.

The ceremony dates back to the 12th century, when the ownership of all unmarked mute swans in open water in Britain was claimed by the Crown in order to ensure a ready supply for feasts.

The ceremony starts on Monday, July 20 with wardens swan upping in Oxfordshire — from Moulsford through Benson Lock, Clifton Hampden, Culham and Abingdon — on Friday, July 24.