英国王室喜迎小公主，名字竞猜正火热

"May our princess be long-lived, happy and glorious," said Tony Appleton, reading from a scroll in a booming voice.
“愿我们的小公主健康长寿、幸福快乐、荣耀辉煌，”托尼·阿普尔顿用洪亮的声音读着卷纸上的文字。

Britain's political leaders – facing a hard-fought general election in just five days – rushed to congratulate the couple on the baby. Goodwill also poured in from the rest of the world: President Barack Obama said he wished the family "much joy and happiness," while Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper said the British royal family held a "very special place in our country."
英国政治领导人——五天后将面临激烈的大选——争着送去祝贺。世界各地也纷纷发来祝福：奥巴马总统希望他们一家“幸福喜悦”，加拿大总理史蒂芬·哈珀（Stephen Harper）表示英国王室“在我们国家享有特殊地位”。

At 21 months, George is third in line to the throne, after his grandfather Prince Charles and his dad William. The newborn princess becomes the fourth in line, bumping Uncle Harry to fifth.
21个月大的乔治是继祖父查尔斯王子、父亲威廉王子之后的皇室第三顺位继承人。而新生小公主则成为第四顺位继承人，排在叔叔哈里之前。

The last princess born so close to the throne was Princess Anne, the queen's second child, in 1950. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, were fifth and sixth in line at the time of their birth.
上一位排位如此靠前的公主是安娜公主，伊丽莎白女王的第二个孩子，出生于1950年。比阿特丽丝(Beatrice)公主和欧仁妮(Eugenie)公主——安德鲁王子（Prince Andrew）和莎拉·弗格森（Sarah Ferguson）的女儿——出生时分别是第五、第六顺位继承人。

Thanks to a recent change in the law, the new princess will hold her place in the line of succession that for centuries had put boys ahead of their sisters. That means no younger brother will be able to overtake the new princess in the order of preference to inherit the throne.
2013年，英国女王修改《王位继承法》，改变了几百年来男孩优先于女孩的继承顺序。得益于此，小公主的地位将不会改变。也就是说，即使再有弟弟出生，他们的继承顺序也不会超越她。

Nonetheless, the princess probably doesn't have to worry about one day becoming queen, since royal succession rules dictate that the throne always passes to the eldest child. Younger siblings only step up to the job in rare circumstances – in case of an illness, death, or an abdication.
但同时，小公主或许不需要担心有一天会成为女王。因为王室继承法规定，长子/女继承继承王位，只有在一些罕见的情况下——如疾病、死亡或弃权，其他兄弟姐妹们才能继承王位。

The birth of their second child marks a new phase for William and Kate, who were wed in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey in April 2011.
第二个孩子的出生标志着威廉和凯特走向新时期。2011年4月，他们刚刚在威斯敏斯特教堂举办了豪华婚礼。

The royal couple is expected to spend more time in their country digs, a 10-room brick-faced mansion known as Anmer Hall on the queen's estate in Sandringham, 120 miles (190 kilometers) north of London. Their apartment at Kensington Palace in central London, where much of their staff is based, will still remain their official home, officials said.
王室夫妇预计将在桑德灵厄姆庄园内的Anmer Hall生活一段时间。这栋拥有10个房间的红砖墙别墅是女王名下的地产，位于伦敦以北120英里（190公里）的乡村。伦敦市中心的肯辛顿宫仍作为夫妇俩的行宫，大部分家什安置于此。

Anmer Hall is also better located for William's new role as a pilot for Bond Air Services, a helicopter operator that works with the East Anglian Air Ambulance service. He will work with doctors responding to emergencies ranging from road accidents to heart attacks.
对于威廉王子的新工作来说，Anmer Hall也是一个更好的住所选择。他现在担任“庞德飞行服务”(Bond Air Services)直升机驾驶员，与东安格利亚空中急救队(East Anglian Air Ambulance)合作，与医生共同应对交通意外和病患心脏疾病等紧急情况。

Vocabulary

frenetic: 狂热的；发狂的

caught off guard: 猝不及防，措手不及

ensemble: 女式套装

easel: 黑板架；画架