LAKELAND, Fla. — To help rebuild a population of swans that died out in Lakeland, officials say Queen Elizabeth II personally gifted a pair of birds to the city in the late 1950s.

With the monarch's death Thursday, city officials say her memory will forever live on in Lakeland through the dozens of swans that originated from the royal flock so many years ago.

"In the early 1920s, Lakeland had a small, but thriving, swan population," said communications director Kevin Cook.

That population, though, eventually died off from disease and predators, so in 1957, a couple living in the city sent the Queen a letter to ask for help.

Kevin Cook, City of Lakeland - “In the early 1920’s Lakeland had a small but thriving swan population.”

“The letter was received by the Queen — she granted Lakeland two swans, but we had to do some fundraising to get the swans back to Lakeland,” Cook said.

The mated pair of swans did make it to Lakeland and the birds have since become a key element of the city's culture.

“The fact that the swans are such a big part of Lakeland — it’s our logo, it’s almost a right of passage to feed the swans," Cook said. "They are a part of our fabric. We’re in debt to Queen Elizabeth II because of those swans.”