英国女王的一天
2017-05-04
2015年9月,英國女王伊丽莎白二世超越维多利亚女王,成为英国历史上在位时间最长的女王。2016年4月,这位英国女王迎来了自己的90岁寿辰。作为一位“超长待机”女王,她的每一天都是如何度过的呢?一起来通过下文了解一下吧。
She has broken the record for the longest-reigning1) British monarch in history, and for Queen Elizabeth, it's all about2) consistency.
The woman who came to the throne as a mother of two at age 25 in 1952 keeps her life just so in a routine that has remained amazingly unchanged through the 65 years that she has served as monarch.
Waking at 7:30 a.m., she listens to her vintage3) Roberts radio4) tuned5) to BBC Radio 4's Today6) program. "She loves to hear British politicians being questioned by the presenters7)," Brian Hoey, author of At Home With The Queen says.
A male servant carries a tray of Twinings'8) English breakfast tea in a bone china cup and saucer, served with milk (no sugar) and some Marie cookies, which a maid brings into her room.
After a bath, she will sit with her husband of 70 years, Prince Philip, 96, for cereal (she likes cornflakes), which is kept in Tupperware containers. She reads newspapers, but first to catch her eye is the Racing Post, which covers her favorite pastime9) of horse racing.
She then pores10) through the documents from the government in her so-called "red boxes"—scarlet leather cases with legal and other papers. The only days she doesn't do so are Christmas and Easter, quiet non-working days for the devoutly11) religious woman. (She is head of the Church of England.)
If she has an official arrangement, she will be seen in public later, coming in from Windsor Castle on Tuesdays for the week12). Many of her other official roles are to meet with diplomats or the British Prime Minister. It is something she has become immensely experienced at over a period when she has met 12 American presidents.
She manages to keep completely neutral, to outside eyes and ears in any case. "I have worked for her 48 years, and have never heard her say anything to let anyone think she favored one political party over another or a political personality over another," her former stud13) manager Sir Michael Oswald says. "She has never made a mistake."
And giving up—as her uncle Edward VIII did by abdicating14) in 1936—is not an option. "As long as she is able to carry out her duties she will continue," Oswald says.
But she has become good at keeping her work life separate from her domestic15) one.
Sometimes she will host a lunch, helping her and Philip stay informed as they meet a cross-section of people from public life, politics and the celebrity world, as race car driver Lewis Hamilton recounted.
Her cousin Margaret Rhodes says she expertly juggles16) family with work, from attending to the concerns of a servants' family or the tasks of hosting a party at Balmoral Castle17) in Scotland. "She has this ability to compartmentalize18) her brain," says Rhodes, "and if she has a worry about something, she can shut the door on that compartment and be totally outgoing and happy with other people."
In the evenings, she might watch classic British comedies or mysteries and detectives stories like Inspector Morse.
And then there are the horses. "If it's during the racing season and she's been busy during the day, then somebody will put together a recording of the races that day," says Hoey. "Particularly, if one of her horses has been running."
One of those keeping a check on how her horses are getting on is Oswald, 83, who says, "She not only loves them but she understands them in every aspect. Horse psychology is not the right word but she understands how they feel and how they react."
Of course, the Queen is in an extraordinary position, but if things were different, she would be like many other aristocrats. Her cousin Rhodes adds, "She is a country person, and if she had not been who she was she would be living in the country with horses and lots of dogs."
伊丽莎白女王已经打破纪录,成为英国有史以来在位时间最长的君主,对她而言,最重要的就是始终如一。
这位女性于1952年登基,当时25岁的她已经是两个孩子的妈妈。在担任君主的这65年的岁月中,她一直过着极其有规律的生活,这种生活规律一直保持不变,令人惊叹。
早上7:30醒来之后,她会用自己那台已经调到BBC广播四台的古色古香的罗伯茨收音机收听《今日》节目。“她爱听英国政客被节目主持人质问。”《我在女王家》一书的作者布赖恩·霍伊说。
随后,一位男仆会端着托盤送来一套骨瓷杯碟装着的川宁英式早餐茶,配上由一位女仆送入女王房间的牛奶(不加糖)和一些玛丽饼干。
沐浴之后,她会和相伴70载、现年96岁的菲利普亲王一起坐下来吃特百惠碗盛的麦片(她喜欢玉米片)。她还会看看报纸,不过最先吸引她目光的会是《赛马邮报》,上面刊有她最喜爱的消遣方式赛马的相关资讯。
接下来,她会从头到尾地认真阅读所谓“红匣子”——装有法律文书以及其他文件的鲜红色皮箱——中的政府文书。只有在圣诞节和复活节,她才不做这项工作。对于她这位虔诚的教徒(她是英国国教会的最高首领)而言,这两个节日是无需工作的悠闲日子。……
