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伊丽莎白女王1. She’s shy1. 她很内敛Her Majesty may have reigned for 60 years but she remains quite a shy person at heart. Yes, she’s learnt how to handle all manner of social situations, rise to the occasion, and meet the incredible demands of being a monarch in the modern age, thanks in part to the advice of her closest courtiers.女王尽管已登基60年，骨子里却仍是一个内敛的人。的确，她已学会如何处理各种境况，如何应付自如，或迎合现代社会人们对一位女王的要求；但这些成就部分得归功于她身边大臣的忠谏。2. The smile is real2. 她的微笑发自内心I’ve been very struck by just how happy the Queen looks these days. I think that’s down to the fact that the Royal Family has survived the travails of recent decades to emerge as strong as ever. Charles’s predicament following the death of Diana and the difficult years afterwards seems to have been resolved. What’s more, she’s still got the Duke of Edinburgh by her side, and her grandchildren William and Harry – have turned out to be everything she could wish for. In short, the future of the succession seems assured – and I think that’s a source of tremendous pride and satisfaction to her.近来女王看上去很开心。我想这跟王室坚强熬过几十年的艰难风雨有关吧。无论是戴安娜王妃之死还是查尔斯的窘境，都已成为过往。何况爱丁堡公爵还陪伴在她身边，孙子威廉和哈利一切也都顺顺当当，王室继承还将继续下去——对女王而言，这就是莫大的自豪和欣慰了吧。3. She has a wicked wit3. 她风趣聪慧She can be very funny – a side of her which the public rarely gets to see. I think she’s all too aware that as a monarch she has to be serious and representative of the nation, but in private she can often display a real sense of fun and a lovely, spontaneous sense of humour.女王有时非常风趣——只可惜公众很少有机会看到罢了。作为女王，她意识到自己得严肃正经，要展现一国君主之风范。但私下里，她真的很风趣，有时还耍点调皮的小幽默。4. Faith underpins her life4. 她对待信仰忠贞不渝The Queen is of course the head of the Church of England – but it’s sometimes forgotten that she’s also a woman of deep Christian faith. I once saw her holding a rather worn prayer book which I think is in itself telling – because it shows that this is a woman who doesn’t just pay lip service to God, but prays and is a true believer. She is of course a regular churchgoer, and I’m sure she has drawn great sustenance from her faith during difficult times in her reign.当然，女王是英国国教会的最高元首；但很少有人意识到她本人就是一名忠诚的基督教徒。我曾看她拿着一本非常破旧的祈祷书——这恰好说明女王绝非虚有其表，而是千真万确信仰上帝。她也经常去教堂做礼拜。我想，正是这种虔诚的信仰才帮她度过了在位期间的艰难岁月吧5. She’s a make-do-and-mend Queen5. 她勤俭节约The Queen has never been an extravagant person. She was 13 when World War II began, so her formative years were hugely shaped by growing up in the shadow of the conflict. The entire nation had to make sacrifices and while no one is suggesting the Royal Family had to slum it, Britain stood alone for a while against Germany, food was rationed and there was a real sense of make-do-and-mend. That’s something that has stayed with the Queen all her life, and I think that’s partly why she likes Kate, who’s not afraid to wear the same dress twice, and is so patently not in the ‘spend, spend, spend’ mould.女王向来不喜欢铺张浪费。第二次世界大战爆发时她才13岁，在战争的阴影中长大。当时全英国人民都得做出牺牲，尽管没人要求王室参与其中，但他们却并未逃避责任。英国与德国孤军奋战时，食物都定量配给，一切都得省吃俭用。而这种勤俭节约的作风就此伴随了女王一生。女王之所以喜欢凯特，很可能也因为凯特从不介意一件衣服多穿两次吧。显然，凯特也不是“大手大脚”类型的人。 |
