美国国家公共电台 NPR--King Charles III faces an uphill battle to match his late mother's popularity

King Charles III faces an uphill battle to match his late mother's popularity

Transcript¹

Attention in Britain will soon turn to King Charles III, as he tries to guide the monarchy³ into a new, uncertain era.

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Queen Elizabeth will be laid to rest on Monday following a state funeral in Westminster Abbey. After that, attention in Britain will turn to her son, King Charles III, as he tries to guide the monarchy into a new, uncertain era. Here's NPR's Frank Langfitt.

FRANK LANGFITT, BYLINE⁴: I'm looking out over Britain's Parliament building, and there are thousands of people lined up to see the queen's coffin⁵ inside. In fact, the line is so long, it stretches across a bridge and down a big stretch of the River Thames. And it's a reminder⁶ not only of how beloved she was here but also the mark she left over 70 years on the throne. And it's also a reminder that her son has a hard act to follow. I was just talking to a guy here named Jonathan Rabbitt. He's a software engineer from Oxford⁷, and he said this is kind of how he feels.

JONATHAN RABBITT: I'm not enthusiastic about King Charles as I was about Queen Elizabeth, but that's possibly not hard to say. Elizabeth was an incredible queen. Her faith was an inspiration. Her Christmas broadcasts were always wonderful to see. And Charles has a lot to live up to.

LANGFITT: Of course, there are some people here today who are looking forward to the reign⁸ of King Charles. One is a guy named Steve Cass. He was actually two miles away down the river waiting in line to see the queen's casket. But he also says he's optimistic about the new king.

STEVE CASS: He's had to wait a long time to take the title and to take the job on. But I've got a lot of respect for him. I am a royalist. I think he'll do a sterling⁹ job. The environmentalists will be happy because he's very green in his outlook and always has been.

LANGFITT: But as Jonathan Rabbitt suggests, the king is nowhere near as popular as his mother. A poll by YouGov, the British survey research firm, found that 75% of Britons have a positive view of the queen, while only 42% have a positive view of her son. One reason Charles is so less popular is because of the way he treated his first wife, the late Princess Diana. Max Hastings is the former editor of Britain's The Daily Telegraph and the Evening Standard.

MAX HASTINGS: The image that Diana passed onto the world about the prince of Wales is not a very attractive image.

LANGFITT: What is that image?

HASTINGS: It was an - it was an image of a very selfish, quirky, weird¹⁰ man who couldn't understand for the life of him why he was expected to give up his long-term mistress just because he married a young girl.

LANGFITT: After Charles married Diana, he kept up an affair with his old flame, Camilla Parker Bowles, who was also married. The couple finally divorced in 1996. Prince Charles married Camilla in 2005. She's now the queen consort¹¹. One reason the queen was so popular is because she was a cipher¹². Royal analysts¹³ say many Britons simply projected on her who they thought she was or wished her to be. Here again is Max Hastings, with whom I spoke¹⁴ before the queen's death.

HASTINGS: None of us know what she really thinks about anything, except that she likes dogs and horses. She's never offended or alienated¹⁵ anybody. Now, this is tremendously important.

LANGFITT: The sovereign is supposed to remain above politics. But unlike his mother, King Charles has expressed some strong opinions in the past. He once called a planned modernist wing of London's National Gallery, quote, "a monstrous¹⁶ carbuncle." The design was later scrapped¹⁷. In the 2000s, he sent private memos¹⁸ urging government officials to, among other things, reverse spending cuts on homeopathic medicine. He also requested funding for his own Afghan charity. Royal analysts say the stakes are much higher now that Charles is king. Pauline Maclaran is a professor at Royal Holloway, University of London.

PAULINE MACLARAN: He may feel that he doesn't just want a passive role, that he has to play a bigger part, and he may start interfering¹⁹. I think that Charles will be allowed much less leeway in terms of his reign.

LANGFITT: In a speech Saturday, Charles emphasized he would emulate²⁰ many of the queen's most successful qualities.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

KING CHARLES III: My mother's reign was unequalled in its duration, its dedication²¹ and its devotion. I am deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty. In taking up these responsibilities, I shall strive to follow the inspiring example I have been set.

LANGFITT: Unlike his mother, who had a personal touch with the public, King Charles has been perceived at times as having a sense of entitlement. Max Hastings recalls a dinner years ago with the then-prince of Wales and another friend.

HASTINGS: He was moaning on, as he was rather prone²² to do. And I said, look, sir, all three of us around this table have had broken marriages, and we've all had our problems. But there comes a moment when we all have to realize that we're all terribly privileged human beings, so we've got to get on with it. The prince of Wales didn't like this at all. He banged his fists on the table so that all the glass and the silver rattled²³. And he said, nobody but me can possibly understand how awful it is to be prince of Wales.

LANGFITT: One of the king's causes that resonates with the public is the environment, an issue he began championing decades ago. Charles warned about problems such as single-use plastic and the threat of climate change back in the 1970s. In a speech in 1987, he warned about pollution in the North Sea.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHARLES: If science has taught us anything, however, it is that the environment is full of uncertainty²⁴. It makes no sense to test it to destruction. While we wait for the doctor's diagnosis²⁵, the patient may easily die.

LANGFITT: At times, he was ridiculed²⁶ for some of his views. In 2007, when Harvard Medical School gave him a Global Environmental Citizen Award, Charles joked about how attitudes had changed.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

CHARLES: I can't tell you how touched and grateful I am for all these extraordinarily²⁷ flattering words that have been said about me. I find it rather strange after all these years of being at the end of a certain amount of abuse.

(LAUGHTER)

CHARLES: And all I can say is fame at least. It's rather encouraging.

LANGFITT: Charles takes the throne in a Britain that is reeling from massive inflation and high energy costs triggered by the war in Ukraine. As one person I spoke to while reporting last week in Scotland said, Charles could be the right monarch² at a time when concerns about the environment have never been greater. Frank Langfitt, NPR News, London.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

3 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

6 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

7 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

8 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

9 sterling   

adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？
• Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

10 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

11 consort   

v.相伴；结交

参考例句：

• They went in consort two or three together.他们三三两两结伴前往。
• The nurses are instructed not to consort with their patients.护士得到指示不得与病人交往。

12 cipher   

n.零；无影响力的人；密码

参考例句：

• All important plans were sent to the police in cipher.所有重要计划均以密码送往警方。
• He's a mere cipher in the company.他在公司里是个无足轻重的小人物。

13 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 alienated   

adj.感到孤独的，不合群的v.使疏远( alienate的过去式和过去分词 )；使不友好；转让；让渡（财产等）

参考例句：

• His comments have alienated a lot of young voters. 他的言论使许多年轻选民离他而去。
• The Prime Minister's policy alienated many of her followers. 首相的政策使很多拥护她的人疏远了她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

17 scrapped   

废弃(scrap的过去式与过去分词)； 打架

参考例句：

• This machine is so old that it will soon have to be scrapped. 这架机器太旧，快报废了。
• It had been thought that passport controls would be scrapped. 人们曾认为会放开护照管制。

18 memos   

n.备忘录( memo的名词复数 )；（美）内部通知

参考例句：

• Big shots get their dander up and memos start flying. 大人物们怒火中烧，备忘录四下乱飞。 来自辞典例句
• There was a pile of mail, memos and telephone messages on his desk. 他的办公桌上堆满着信件、备忘录和电话通知。 来自辞典例句

19 interfering   

adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词

参考例句：

• He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事！
• I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预，让我自己拿主意。

20 emulate   

v.努力赶上或超越，与…竞争；效仿

参考例句：

• You must work hard to emulate your sister.你必须努力工作，赶上你姐姐。
• You must look at the film and try to emulate his behavior.你们必须观看这部电影，并尽力模仿他的动作。

21 dedication   

n.奉献，献身，致力，题献，献辞

参考例句：

• We admire her courage,compassion and dedication.我们钦佩她的勇气、爱心和奉献精神。
• Her dedication to her work was admirable.她对工作的奉献精神可钦可佩。

22 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

23 rattled   

慌乱的，恼火的

参考例句：

• The truck jolted and rattled over the rough ground. 卡车嘎吱嘎吱地在凹凸不平的地面上颠簸而行。
• Every time a bus went past, the windows rattled. 每逢公共汽车经过这里，窗户都格格作响。

24 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

25 diagnosis   

n.诊断，诊断结果，调查分析，判断

参考例句：

• His symptoms gave no obvious pointer to a possible diagnosis.他的症状无法作出明确的诊断。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做一次彻底的调查分析。

26 ridiculed   

v.嘲笑，嘲弄，奚落( ridicule的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Biosphere 2 was ultimately ridiculed as a research debade, as exfravagant pseudoscience. 生物圈2号最终被讥讽为科研上的大失败，代价是昂贵的伪科学。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She ridiculed his insatiable greed. 她嘲笑他的贪得无厌。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 extraordinarily   

adv.格外地；极端地

参考例句：

• She is an extraordinarily beautiful girl.她是个美丽非凡的姑娘。
• The sea was extraordinarily calm that morning.那天清晨，大海出奇地宁静。