by Mike MacEacheran
Buckingham Palace 白金漢宮
The only place to start your royal tour is at SW1A 1AA, Londons most exclusive[獨(dú)一的] postcode and the royal residence[住處] that everyone wants to see. Every summer, Buckingham Palace opens to visitors, and the highlight this year is the exhibition of the 60th anniversary[周年紀(jì)念] of the Queens coronation[加冕禮]. Legend has it that the Queens robes[長(zhǎng)袍] were so heavy that at the start of the 1953 ceremony[儀式], she asked the Archbishop of Canterbury注1 to give her a push. On a tour of the 19 state rooms you can see the Throne[王座] Room, used for ceremonial[禮儀的] receptions.
英國(guó)王室之旅的起點(diǎn)非“SW1A 1AA”莫屬——這是倫敦最獨(dú)一無(wú)二的郵政編碼,也是每個(gè)人都想一飽眼福的王室官邸。每年夏天,白金漢宮都向游客開(kāi)放。今年的亮點(diǎn)是女王加冕60周年紀(jì)念展。傳聞在1953年儀式開(kāi)始時(shí),英女王所穿的禮袍過(guò)于沉重,以至于她需要請(qǐng)坎特伯雷大主教推她一把。在參觀白金漢宮的19個(gè)國(guó)事廳時(shí),你可以看到用于禮儀接待的王座室。
Kensington Palace 肯辛頓宮
Located on the western fringes[邊緣] of Londons Hyde Park, the birthplace and childhood home of Queen Victoria is one of the most attractive royal residences in Britain. Kensington Palace was bought for £20,000 in 1689 by William III and Mary II, and it quickly became a favourite among the monarchy[君主政體]. The palace was the home of the Queens late[已故的] sister Princess Margaret, as well as Prince Charles and Princess Diana, and is the official London residence of Prince William, Princess Catherine注2 and Prince Harry. On a visit, you can climb the Kings Staircase, explore the Kings and Queens State Apartments and roam[漫步] the newly remodeled[改造] gardens.
位于倫敦海德公園西郊的肯辛頓宮是維多利亞女王出生和度過(guò)童年的地方,也是最具吸引力的英國(guó)王室住所之一。1689年,威廉三世和瑪麗二世以2萬(wàn)英鎊買(mǎi)下肯辛頓宮,這里很快就成為深受王室喜愛(ài)的住所??闲令D宮是英女王已故之妹瑪格麗特公主以及查爾斯王儲(chǔ)和戴安娜王妃的住所,也是威廉王子、凱瑟琳王妃和哈里王子在倫敦的官方住所。在這里,你可以登上“國(guó)王的樓梯”,參觀“國(guó)王和女王御所”,以及到新近改建過(guò)的花園散步。
The Palace of Holyroodhouse 荷里路德宮
Her Majestys注3 official Scottish residence, Edinburghs Palace of Holyroodhouse has entertained Scotlands most famous monarchs[君主] over the years. The palace itself is home to the State Apartments, used by the Queen on her visits to the Scottish capital.
一直以來(lái),女王陛下在蘇格蘭的官方住所——愛(ài)丁堡的荷里路德宮接待過(guò)蘇格蘭最著名的幾位君主。荷里路德宮本身是王室御所的所在地,英女王在訪問(wèn)蘇格蘭首府時(shí)便住在此處。
The Goring Hotel 戈林酒店
Just a stones throw[很短的距離] from Buckingham Palace is The Goring Hotel, located on a quiet street in Belgravia注4. The century-old hotel has long been a royal favourite; the late Queen Mother used to visit for afternoon tea, and her husband King George VI and a teenage Queen Elizabeth II came for sausages[香腸] and scrambled eggs[炒雞蛋] to celebrate[慶祝] the end of World War II.
Before she was married to William in 2011, Kate Middleton and her family took over the 71-room hotel and enjoyed the five-star treatment and afternoon tea. If you fancy[喜歡] splashing out[大肆揮霍], rooms start at £375, with £5,000 getting you the royal suite[套房] the now Duchess of Cambridge stayed in for the night.
距離白金漢宮僅有一步之隔的戈林酒店位于貝爾格萊維亞區(qū)的一條安靜街道上。這家具有百年歷史的酒店長(zhǎng)期以來(lái)深受王室喜愛(ài)。已故的王太后生前常常來(lái)這里喝下午茶;其夫喬治六世和當(dāng)時(shí)僅十幾歲的英女王伊麗莎白二世曾來(lái)到這里享用香腸和炒雞蛋,慶祝二戰(zhàn)結(jié)束。
2011年,在凱特·米德?tīng)栴D嫁給威廉王子的前夕,她與自己的家人包起了這家有71間客房的酒店,并在這里享受五星級(jí)待遇和下午茶。如果你喜歡揮霍一下,戈林酒店的客房起步價(jià)是375英鎊;花上5千英鎊,你就能入住現(xiàn)任劍橋公爵夫人曾住過(guò)的皇家套房。
Hampton Court Palace 漢普頓宮
While you are never likely to spend a night at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, it is possible to rent a room at several other royal residences. The pick of the bunch[精選品] is Henry VIIIs Hampton Court Palace near Richmond in southwest London, where you can rent an apartment in the palaces Tudor Wing or in the Georgian House.
Her Majesty has been known to broadcast her Christmas Message to the nation from the Chapel[小禮拜堂] Royal—so book ahead for the 25th of December.
盡管你絕無(wú)可能在白金漢宮或溫莎城堡里過(guò)夜,但在其他幾處皇家住所租一個(gè)房間還是有可能的。其中的上選之處就是位于倫敦西南部里士滿附近、亨利八世的漢普頓宮。你可以在這座宮邸中的“都鐸翼”或者“喬治之屋”租一間公寓。
據(jù)悉,女王陛下會(huì)在皇家禮拜堂向國(guó)民廣播圣誕祝詞,所以提前為12月25日預(yù)訂吧。
Royal Yacht[游艇] Britannia 皇家游艇不列顛尼亞號(hào)
It may not be a traditional royal residence, but the Royal Yacht Britannia has a unique distinction[特點(diǎn)]: it is the Queens favourite. “Britannia is the one place where I can truly relax,”said Her Majesty. The 60-year-old boat is now permanently[永久地] docked[??看a頭] as a visitor attraction in Edinburgh.
The yacht served the royal family for 40 years, sailing more than one million nautical miles[海里]. Four royal honeymoons also took place on board, including that of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Perhaps the most interesting fact is that the ship undertook 968 official visits, including for the handover[移交] of Hong Kong in 1997. It was all a breeze[輕而易舉的事] for Her Majesty, of course, as shes the only person in Britain who is not required to have a passport.
英國(guó)皇家游艇不列顛尼亞號(hào)可能算不上傳統(tǒng)的皇家住所,但它自有獨(dú)特之處:它深得女王鐘愛(ài)?!安涣蓄嵞醽喬?hào)是一個(gè)能讓我真正放松的地方,”女王說(shuō)。這艘已有60年歷史的游艇現(xiàn)在永久停靠在愛(ài)丁堡,成為一個(gè)吸引游客的觀光點(diǎn)。
大不列顛號(hào)為王室服務(wù)了40年,航程超過(guò)一百萬(wàn)海里。曾有四對(duì)王室夫婦在這艘游艇上度蜜月,包括查爾斯王儲(chǔ)和戴安娜王妃。也許最有趣的一件事是,這艘游艇曾執(zhí)行968次官方訪問(wèn)任務(wù),其中包括1997年的香港回歸之行。當(dāng)然,這對(duì)于女王陛下而言只是一件輕而易舉的事,因?yàn)樗怯?guó)唯一不需要護(hù)照的人。
The Castle of Mey 梅城堡
The tiny Castle of Mey on Scotlands north coast is the most northerly in Britain. Though it is not easy to get to, that never stopped the late Queen Mother—she made regular stops at the residence after first visiting in 1952, while mourning[哀悼] the death of her husband, King George VI.
A green-fingered[精通園藝的] gardener, she cared for the gardens that visitors can see today, and could often be seen watering the flowers. The highlight of the castle tour is seeing how the royals spent their holidays, for the furnishings are still set out as the Queen Mother had it.
位于蘇格蘭北部海岸的小小梅城堡矗立在英國(guó)的最北端。盡管不容易到達(dá),但這從未阻擋已故的王太后(去那里)。自其1952年首次到訪梅城堡、哀悼其去世的丈夫喬治六世國(guó)王之后,她便經(jīng)常到訪此地。
當(dāng)年,精通園藝的王太后打理著這座游客們今天所見(jiàn)的花園,人們經(jīng)常看到她在澆花。梅城堡之旅的亮點(diǎn)是領(lǐng)略一下英國(guó)王室成員是如何度假的,因?yàn)檫@里的擺設(shè)仍然保留著王太后當(dāng)年的樣式。
Kew Palace 邱宮
Kew Palace, restored to what it might have been when King George III lived there, is an easy trip from central London to its River Thames location. So close, in fact, that Her Majesty popped in[突然出現(xiàn)] to celebrate her 80th birthday in 2006. Although the palace is not lived in anymore, it is open to the public to see what life was like in Georgian times注5.
邱宮被修復(fù)到英王喬治三世在那里居住時(shí)的原貌。從倫敦市中心到位于泰晤士河邊的邱宮十分方便。事實(shí)上,這兩處是如此之近,以至于2006年女王陛下突如其來(lái)地出現(xiàn)在這里慶祝她的80歲生日。盡管邱宮已經(jīng)不再住人,但仍向公眾開(kāi)放,讓人們可以一窺喬治王時(shí)代的生活風(fēng)貌。