英国王室喜迎小公主，名字竞猜正火热

英国剑桥公爵夫人凯特王妃在生产完公主不到10个小时后，也就是当地时间2日下午6点，抱着小公主与剑桥公爵威廉王子一同离开位于西伦敦的圣玛丽医院。

It may be a day or two before the world knows what to call Britain's new princess. When Prince George, her older brother, was born in 2013, royal officials waited two days before announcing his name.

或许再过一两天我们才能知道这位新公主的名字。2013年她的哥哥乔治王子出生后，王室官员延迟两天对外公布他的名字。

The Duchess of Cambridge delighted her nation and royal enthusiasts around the world Saturday by delivering a princess that millions in Britain were hoping for.

周六(5月2日)，剑桥公爵夫人顺利产下数百万英国人民盼望已久的小公主，皇室“超级粉丝们、举国上下的人们都欢欣鼓舞。

The baby, Prince William and Kate's second child, was born Saturday morning and weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces (3.7 kilograms), officials said.

这是威廉王子和凯特王妃的第二个孩子。据官方宣布，小公主周六早上出生，重8.3磅(3.7公斤)。

She is fourth in line to the throne and the fifth great-grandchild of 89-year-old Queen Elizabeth II. Britain hasn't welcomed a princess born this high up the line of succession for decades.

这位王室新丁是王室第四顺位继承人，89岁高龄的伊丽莎白女王二世的第五个曾孙。英国已经几十年未曾迎接过排位如此靠前的女孩。

Speculation about the new royal's name has been frenetic: Alice and Charlotte are the clear favorites, followed by Elizabeth, Victoria and Diana – all names with strong royal connections.

人们对这位新王室成员名字的猜测十分热烈：爱丽斯和夏洛特这两个名字最受欢迎，其次是伊丽莎白、维多利亚和戴安娜，都贴近王室传统。

Royal children are usually given several names – the baby's brother was christened George Alexander Louis – so the princess's name could incorporate more than one of those guesses.

王室子嗣一般都有好几个名字——乔治洗礼时的名字是乔治·亚历山大·路易斯——所以小公主的名字也可能是猜测名单里多个名字的结合。

Anticipation had been building for weeks after Kate, 33, told a well-wisher she was due around late April. Still, journalists were caught slightly off guard when she delivered barely three hours after checking into the hospital at dawn Saturday. William, 32, was present at the birth.

自从凯特(33岁)告诉一个祝福者预产期大概在四月末起，人们就开始期待。但周六早晨，在她入住医院仅三个小时便顺利产下婴儿时，记者们还是略感意外。当时，威廉王子也在场。

The couple later emerged on the hospital steps with the infant to briefly pose for photographers before leaving for their home at nearby Kensington Palace. Kate, who wore a yellow-and-white floral shift dress by British designer Jenny Packham, held the sleeping baby wrapped in a white shawl.

夫妇俩随后抱着女儿出现在医院门口台阶作了短暂停留让摄影师拍照，他们将返回附近的肯辛顿王宫家中。凯特穿着黄白碎花宽松直筒连衣裙(由英国设计师珍妮·帕克汉设计)，臂弯中的婴儿裹在白色的围巾里，正熟睡着。

The couple looked relaxed but didn't answer any questions. William earlier told reporters he was "very happy" as he brought young George to the hospital to meet his baby sister. George, looking slightly alarmed by all the cameras, waved dutifully at the adoring crowds.

夫妇俩看起来很放松，但未回答任何问题。威廉早前告诉记者，带着乔治去医院见妹妹的时候，他“非常高兴。小乔治有点被摄像机惊吓到，但仍保持礼貌地向爱慕的群众挥手。

The queen and senior royals were "delighted with the news," officials said. The queen marked the occasion by wearing a pink ensemble while carrying out an official engagement in North Yorkshire, 250 miles (400 kilometers) north of London.

官方称，女王和上层王室都“为这个喜讯而高兴。为庆祝这特别的一天，女王穿了粉红色的套装。当时她在距伦敦250英里(400公里)远的北约克郡参加一个正式活动。

Cheers and chants of "Princess! Princess!" rang out from the hundreds of well-wishers and tourists gathered outside the palace and the hospital as soon as the news was announced. One fan who had camped out outside the hospital for days danced with joy.

消息一经宣布，王宫和医院外便聚满成百上千的祝福者和游客，欢呼声和“公主!公主!的呼喊起此彼伏。一位在医院外露营等候数日的粉丝高兴地跳起舞来。

"I'm top of the world," said royal camper Terry Hutt, 80, decked out in patriotic Union Jack gear. He did not expect the birth to happen as soon as it did but said: "Babies come when they're ready."

“我真是太高兴了，露营王宫的特里·赫特说道，这位80岁的老人身着英国米字旗。对他来说，是否在预产期那天降临并不重要，“孩子如果准备好了就会到来。

"If Diana was here, she'd be very, very proud," he added, referring to the late Princess Diana, William's mother.

“如果戴安娜在这里，她会非常非常自豪的。他补充道，已逝的戴安娜王妃是威廉王子的母亲。

The news was announced on social media sites like Twitter as well as by a traditional bulletin on a gilded easel in front of Buckingham Palace – a practice that dates to 1837.

这个消息在推特等社交媒体网站公布，同时也公布在白金汉宫前面金色边框的布告栏。这是自1873年以来延续的传统。

A town crier in an elaborate costume _ with no official connection to the royal family – shouted out the news at the hospital's door, clanging his bell to welcome the new royal.

一位街头公告员——与王室无任何直接关系——身着精致服装，摇着铃铛在医院门口大声传播喜讯。

"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