英王室桑德灵汉姆宫温馨度圣诞

Britain's royal family took their traditional public Christmas Day stroll to and from church on Friday, with one well-wisher receiving a hug and a kiss from Prince William.

The royals traditionally spend their winter break at Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth II's private estate in Norfolk, eastern England.

Around 1,000 onlookers watched them attend the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene church on the estate.

William, third in line to the throne, stopped to greet carer Debbie Barlett, 51, who lives near Sandringham.

"He gave me a hug and a kiss and asked me where my snowman was," she said.

"I've been coming here for the past 20 years. It's one chance you get to see the royals altogether. It's lovely."

Army officers William and his brother Prince Harry are both on leave from their military training to become helicopter pilots. As per royal etiquette, their girlfriends were not present.

Afterwards outside the church, well-wishers handed several bouquets of flowers to the 83-year-old Queen Elizabeth, who wore a red outfit.

Equestrian world champion Zara Phillips, 28, the queen's eldest grand-daughter, sported the most daring footwear on the icy quarter-mile (400-metre) path from Sandringham House -- six-inch (15-centimetre) stiletto heels.

While most people in Britain open their presents on Christmas Day, the royals follow the German tradition and open theirs on Christmas Eve. The queen apparently prefers practical gifts that are not overly extravagant.

After dinner, the ladies adjourn and Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip serves port or brandy to the men.

Following their Christmas morning visit to the church, lunch is served at 1:00 pm, usually a giant turkey reared on the estate.

While the royal family gathers round the television to watch Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Day broadcast at 3:00 pm, the sovereign sometimes watches it alone in another room.

This year, the queen's lawyers have warned newspapers not to publish paparazzi pictures of the royals on their winter break. Freelance photographers normally spend hours monitoring the area to get pictures of the family on the estate.

上周五，英国王室成员前往教堂做一年一度的圣诞礼拜，一位热情的民众还得到了威廉王子的拥抱和亲吻。

按照传统，英国王室每年都在女王伊丽莎白二世位于英格兰东部诺福克郡的私人宅邸桑德灵汉姆宫度圣诞假期。

当天，王室成员在桑德灵汉姆宫的圣马利亚．玛德琳教堂参加圣诞弥撒，现场共有约一千名民众围观。

王位第三继承人威廉王子还停下来问候了当地的一位居民——51岁的黛比．巴雷特。黛比是一名看护，居住在桑德灵汉姆宫附近。

黛比说：“他给了我一个拥抱和亲吻。还问我的雪人在哪里。”

“在过去20年里，我每年都会来这里。这是一次能看到王室全体成员的机会，很有意思。”

现为军官的威廉王子和弟弟哈里王子目前都在接受直升机飞行员的军事训练。按照王室礼节，两人的女友不能参加这样的王室活动。

随后，教堂外的热情民众向83岁的女王伊丽莎白二世献上几束鲜花。女王当天身着红色套装。

女王的长外孙女、马术世界冠军——28岁的扎拉·菲利普斯当天的鞋装最为“大胆”，她脚穿一双跟高达六英寸（合15厘米）的细高跟鞋，走在桑德灵汉姆宫至教堂距离400米的冰面路上。

尽管大多数英国人在圣诞节当天打开礼物，但英国王室仍按照德国传统，在圣诞前夜就打开了礼物。女王似乎更青睐不奢华、实用的礼物。

在用完餐后，女士们一般会退场，女王的丈夫菲利普亲王则招待男士们喝波尔图葡萄酒或白兰地。

在圣诞节当天上午去教堂做完礼拜后，王室成员们于下午一点享用午餐，午餐的主菜通常是在桑德灵汉姆宫饲养的一只大火鸡。

王室成员通常在下午三点围坐在电视机旁观看女王的圣诞致辞，而女王有时会在另一个房间独自观看。

今年，女王的律师已向报纸发出警告，提醒他们不要刊登狗仔队拍摄的王室度假的照片。为拍到王室成员在桑德灵汉姆宫度圣诞的照片，自由摄影记者们常常会在此地蹲点数小时。

Vocabulary:

well-wisher：a person who wishes well to another person, a cause, etc.（祝福者）

carer：家庭护理员，私人看护

on leave：休假

as per：consistent, or in accordance with（按照）

equestrian：of or pertaining to horseback riding or horseback riders（骑手，马术）

stiletto heel：女式细跟鞋

adjourn：to go to another place, or to to postpone, suspend, or transfer proceedings（换另一个地方，休会）

port：any of a class of very sweet wines, mostly dark-red, originally from Portugal（波尔图葡萄酒）