A Royal Celebration英國皇室大婚

The 29th of April 2011 marks what seems to be a fairy-tale event. No matter how common in stories, few princes ever marry a commoner, someone not already a noble. However, for only the second time in British history, a Prince and heir to the throne will marry someone from outside the aristocracy. Prince William, who is second in line to the throne, will tie the knot with Kate, born Catherine, Middleton, his long-term girlfriend.
2011年4月29日，一個童話般的盛事即將登場。麻雀變王妃的情節，在故事中比比皆是，但在現實中卻很少見。但是現在，英國史上第二次，王子娶平民的世紀婚禮就在眼前。英國王室第二順位繼承人威廉王子將與情牽多年的凱特?密道頓（正式名字是凱薩琳）步上紅毯，完成終身大事。
The wedding itself looks likely to be a very traditional affair. The bride and groom will travel to Westminster Abbey in London, complete with a parade and horse-drawn carriages. The ceremony itself will be attended by heads of state and royalty from around the world. After the wedding, the newly-weds will return to Buckingham Palace for an elaborate wedding reception.
這場婚禮看似再傳統不過。一如以往，婚禮將辦在倫敦西敏寺，威廉和凱特在各國元首及王室成員的祝福下完婚，接著搭馬車遊行市區，最後回到白金漢宮，參加女王伊麗莎白二世為他們舉辦的喜宴。
But in some ways, the wedding will be far from traditional. Kate and William have been officially dating for seven years, ever since they met at St. Andrew's University in Scotland. Their relationship has been a perennial topic for the tabloid newspapers, so we know all about the highs and lows of their relationship has been through, including even a short-term break up. Unlike previous royal weddings, this seems a thoroughly modern match-up. You would expect a prince to mention his princess's beauty, but instead William praises his bride as having 'a good sense of humour, being down to earth, and prepared to take the mickey'. Kate herself is hardly a demure princess to be – she is on record as saying 'He's so lucky to be going out with me. '
但這場婚禮，也有不傳統的一面。凱特跟威廉在蘇格蘭聖安德魯大學就讀時相戀，愛情長跑七年，一直是八卦小報跟拍的焦點。因此他們戀情的起起伏伏、甚至短暫分手都攤在陽光下。另外，這對情侶檔一點也不老派，你不會聽到威廉稱讚妻子有多美，反而欣賞她的「幽默、務實、愛開玩笑」。凱特本身也不是那種嬌羞的女生，她曾經公開大方說，「威廉跟我交往，是他幸運。」
What is more, Middleton's family are hardly a usual royal choice. Although they are now extremely rich – Kate Middleton's father made a fortune from an early start in on-line business- they are nouveax riche. Michael Middleton and Carole Middleton met when they were both working in low status jobs for British Airways, and Kate's grandfather was a lorry driver. Kate herself, although educated at very good schools, has spent time working as a buyer for the clothing chain, Jigsaw.
凱特的家庭也非門當戶對之選，她的祖父是貨車司機，父親麥可與母親卡洛在英國航空公司從事基層工作時結識，父親後來靠經營網購致富，才躍身新富階級。凱特本人雖然念的是名校，但曾在平價連鎖服飾店Jigsaw當採購。
Even the preparations for the wedding have been very contemporary. While any royal event draws intense media scrutiny, the royals have embraced the modern world for this one. The wedding is thoroughly connected, with a facebook page, a website, and links to twitter and YouTube. The wedding itself will be televised, and there are plans to show it worldwide, with people all over the world tuning in to see the prince, who has been an international heartthrob, marry his beloved.
另外，這場婚禮的前置作業也很「潮」。王室一舉一動本身已夠吸睛，這次還趕流行，婚禮相關消息全上線。王室不但在「臉書」開專頁，還架官網，讓粉絲連到「推特」留言或看Youtube影音。王室甚至還有意全球轉播婚禮實況，讓所有人一睹，世界級的萬人迷與心愛的人完婚。
Of course, there is the shadow of an older royal marriage hanging over the young couple. The last major royal wedding was the ill-starred nuptials of William's mother and father, Charles and Diana. There, a woman celebrated for her fairy-tale beauty married a prince – but that story had no happy ending, culminating in a royal divorce and Diana's eventual death.
然而，前一場多舛的王室婚禮陰影還在。威廉的母親是已故的黛安娜王妃，當年她以清新脫俗的美貌風靡全世界，帶著眾人的祝福嫁給父親王儲查爾斯，不料卻以離婚及車禍身故收場。
Nevertheless, Diana will be present in spirit, at least. Kate's engagement ring is the same ring Diana wore. Some people have seen this as a bad omen, but others see it as Prince William's gesture to the mother he lost. Certainly, William and Kate's relationship is very different to that of Diana and Prince Charles. With luck, this very modern fairy tale will have a happily ever after.
但至少，黛安娜的精神猶存，她的訂婚戒現正套在凱特的手指上，有人認為不怎麼吉利，但也有人說這是威廉向已故的母親致意。很肯定的是，威廉的婚禮會跟她父母大不同，在幸運之神的眷顧下，現代版的灰姑娘與王子，會永遠過著幸福快樂的日子。