It is a fascinating blend of well-trodden history and social mobility. Clustered around a Chippendale sofa in the sunbathed Morning Room of Clarence House, this new group photograph of the Windsor and Middleton dynasties is arguably the most intriguing of the christening portraits released yesterday.
Despite the Queen’s presence and the rather Victorian familial grouping, there is a decidedly relaxed air to the picture, a portrait of a Royal Family for the modern age. Indeed, aside from the Queen, the most magisterial figure is the Duchess of Cambridge’s younger brother James, whose beard makes him look uncannily like his nephew’s great, great, great-grandfather, King George V, or even a younger looking Prince Michael of Kent.
Kate’s family - her former air hostesses turned multi-millionaire entrepreneur mother, Carole, genial father Michael, and scene-stealing sister, Pippa - are positioned around Prince William.
In contrast Kate, whose ancestors were Durham coal miners and men of the soil, is grouped with the rest of the Royal Family - a dapper-looking Duke of Edinburgh, belying his 92 years and recent ill-health, grandparents Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, and a cheeky-looking doting uncle Prince Harry.
One can only assume that celebrity photographer Jason Bell, whose previous subjects have included David Beckham and actress Scarlett Johansson, diplomatically chose to place them that way rather than give an impression of ‘them and us’.
當耳熟能詳的歷史與社會的流動彼此交融是一件多麼迷人的事，英國王位第三順位繼承人、出生三個月的喬治小王子（Prince George）於10月23日在爸媽的陪伴下在聖詹姆士宮（St James's Palace）正式受洗，洗禮儀式低調進行，僅21人獲邀出席。這是小王子自出生後第二次公開亮相，也是百年來首見英國四代君王同堂，而英國未來國王的教父母也不再僅限於皇親貴族。
受洗儀式結束後，知名人像攝影師Jason Bell在克萊倫斯宮（Clarence House）的晨間起居室，捕捉這歷史性的畫面。這張全家福有別於以往嚴肅的王室全家福，凱特王妃娘家的家人與王室成員並肩而立，齊聚在Chippendale沙發的周圍，展現一種輕鬆的氛圍，堪稱是英國王室歷年來最溫馨的受洗儀式照片，也是新時代的王室肖像。除了伊麗莎白女王之外，最具有君主威儀形象的是凱特王妃的弟弟James，他臉上的鬍子令他看起來神似英王喬治五世（King George V）與年輕版的邁克爾王子（Prince Michael of Kent）。
圍繞在威廉王子（Prince William, Duke of Cambridge）附近的是凱特王妃的家人－母親Carole，之前是一名空服員，後轉型成為身價千萬的企業家、和藹的父親Michael及搶眼的妹妹Pippa。
除了凱特王妃的家人外，其餘的王室成員還有喬治小王子高齡92歲的曾祖父菲利普親王（Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh）， 雖然近年來身體欠佳，卻仍顯得神采煥發、祖父母查爾斯王子（Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales）與康沃爾公爵夫人Camilla，以及一臉溺愛神情的叔叔哈利王子（Prince Harry）。
- Well-trodden (adj.) 耳熟能詳的
- Cluster around 齊聚在；圍在
A group of children had clustered around the toy shop window. 一群孩子團團圍在玩具店的櫥窗前。
- Dynasty (n.) 王朝；朝代
- Intriguing (adj.) 引起好奇心的；令人感興趣的
- Christening (n.) 洗禮儀式
- Aside from = Apart from / Except for 除此之外
The composition is quite good except for the spelling .
這篇文章除了拼寫以外, 其他都不錯。
- Magisterial (adj.) 權威性的
- Uncannily (adv.) 驚人地；神祕地；不尋常地
- Multi-millionaire (n.) 千萬富翁
- Genial (adj.) 和藹的；親切的
- Scene-stealing (adj.) 搶眼的；搶鏡頭的
- Dapper-looking (adj.) 神采煥發的
- Belie (v.) 證明‥是虛假的
Two large tears belied Rosalie ' s brave words .
兩顆大大的淚珠暴露出Rosalie並不像她自己所說的那樣勇敢。
- Cheeky-looking (adj.) 【褒】調皮的；搞笑的 【貶】厚臉皮的；無恥的
- Doting (adj.) 溺愛的；偏愛的 ﹡Dote on 溺愛…
- Diplomatically (adv.) 婉轉地；圓滑地；外交上
Sat up on his delighted mother’s lap, his adorably chubby cheeks peeking out from the voluminous swathes of his Honiton lace christening gown, the new third in line to the throne is an unquestionably bonny lad.
Dressed in ruffled cream Alexander Queen and a Jane Taylor hat, his mother looks beautiful - as usual - although on closer inspection her eyes bear the battlescar bags so familiar of all new mothers. William is clearly a proud dad and, leaning close in to his wife, a proud husband too.
But unlike his first official snapshot, so memorably taken by his grandfather, Michael Middleton, on a humble ‘sureshot’ in the family back garden, this first portrait is a more stilted affair.
威廉與凱特和兒子合照時，驕傲的神情表露無遺，且英國人民也對小王子的誕生懷有高度的熱忱。雖然受洗儀式不對外公開，但滿懷祝福的民眾仍聚集在聖詹姆士宮外，表達對王室和喬治小王子的祝福。
小王子坐在媽媽的腿上，穿著仿自1841年維多利亞女王的長女維多利亞公主受洗時所穿的象牙色手工製蕾絲長袍，圓嘟嘟的臉頰，一雙眼睛好奇的探視著四周，在受洗儀式上不哭不鬧，表現沉穩安靜。毫無疑問，這位第三代王儲是一個漂亮的好孩子。
凱特王妃身穿英國服裝設計師Alexander Mcqueen 所設計的乳白色連身洋裝，配戴Jane Taylor同色系帽子，雖然眼睛周圍有著新手媽媽的眼袋，但看上去還是一如往常的美麗。依偎在旁的威廉王子，顯然對於身為丈夫和爸爸這兩個角色感到自豪。
- Heartening (adj.) 鼓舞人心的；令人振奮的
- Chubby (adj.) 圓嘟嘟的；豐滿的
The baby has a chubby face.
那嬰兒的臉蛋圓嘟嘟的。
- Peek out 偷看；窺視
- Voluminous (adj.) 大量的；冗長的；寬鬆的；大篇幅的
- Bonny Lad (n.) 【口語】好孩子；漂亮的小傢伙
- Ruffled (adj.) 褶邊的
- On closer inspection 仔細觀察
- Lean close 依偎在‥
- Stilted (adj.) 誇張的；矯揉造作的
一睹小王子喬治萌樣↓↓
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2475673/Royal-christening-official-photographs-Royal-Family-Middletons-Prince-George.html#ixzz2izDCnSLE
