LAKELAND, Fla. — The legacy of Queen Elizabeth II is endlessly ingrained into the City of Lakeland.
Lakeland is affectionately often known as Swan City. City leaders Friday, honored the lifetime of Queen Elizabeth by exhibiting gratitude for the royal swans she gifted 65 years in the past.
“Because of her gracious donation we have the swans that we have today, and they have become an integral part of the City of Lakeland,” mentioned Kevin Cook with the City of Lakeland.
Lakeland’s native swan inhabitants died off by 1954. A former resident of Lakeland dwelling in England, determined to take the matter to none apart from the Queen herself.
“Wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth asking her if she would donate a pair of swans, and she did.” Cook mentioned.
The Queen would ship two swans from her royal flock to Lakeland, however the city would wish to cowl the prices of wrangling, transportation and licensing.
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“So, there was a fundraising effort for $300 to have the swans shipped to the City of Lakeland. They arrived in February of 1957 and put on the lake,” Cook mentioned.
Today, the royal swan inhabitants in Lakeland is prospering and residents come out to take pleasure in these stunning birds on a number of native lakes.
“We’re out here feeding the swans and we’re just grateful that the Queen did this for us,” mentioned Ronaldo Molinar.
Swans additionally function the city image, with pictures and statues discovered all through Lakeland. They are a continuing reminder of the tie “Swan City” has with Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
“We’ll forever be connected to Queen Elizabeth II,” mentioned Cook.