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65.

Angola. I traveled to that war-torn country, an official visit, and went specifically to several placeswhere daily life had been poisoned by land mines, including one town believed to be the mostheavily mined place in all of Africa.

August 2013.

I wore the same protective gear my mother had worn when she visited Angola on her historictrip. I even worked with the same charity that had invited her: Halo Trust. I was deeply frustratedto learn from the charity’s executives and fieldworkers that the job she’d spotlighted¹, indeed theentire global crusade my mother had helped launch, was now stalled. Lack of resources, lack ofresolve.

This had been Mummy’s most passionate² cause at the end. (She’d gone to Bosnia three weeksbefore she’d gone to Paris in August 1997.) Many could still remember her walking alone into alive minefield, detonating a mine via remote control, announcing bravely: “One down, seventeenmillion to go.” Her vision of a world rid of land mines seemed within reach back then. Now theworld was going backwards³.

Taking up her cause, detonating a land mine myself, made me feel closer to her, and gave mestrength, and hope. For a brief moment. But overall I felt that I was walking each day through apsychological, emotional minefield. I never knew when the next explosion of panic might be.

Upon returning to Britain, I did another dive into the research. I was desperate to find a cause,a treatment. I even spoke⁴ to Pa, took him into my confidence. Pa, I’m really struggling with panicattacks and anxiety. He sent me to a doctor, which was kind of him, but the doctor was a generalpractitioner with no knowledge or new ideas. He wanted to give me pills.

I didn’t want to take pills.

Not until I’d exhausted⁵ other remedies, including homeopathic ones. In my research I cameacross many people recommending magnesium⁶, which was said to have a calming effect. True, itdid. But in large quantities it also had unpleasant side effects—loosens the bowels—which Ilearned the hard way at a mate’s wedding.

Over dinner one night at Highgrove, Pa and I spoke at some length about what I’d beensuffering. I gave him the particulars, told him story after story. Towards the end of the meal helooked down at his plate and said softly: I suppose it’s my fault. I should’ve got you the help youneeded years ago.

I assured him that it wasn’t his fault. But I appreciated the apology.

As autumn neared my anxiety was heightened, I think, by my impending⁸ birthday, the last ofmy twenties. Dregs of my youth, I thought. I was beset⁹ by all the traditional doubts and fears,asked myself all the basic questions people ask when they get older. Who am I? Where am Igoing? Normal, I told myself, except that the press was abnormally echoing my self-questioning.

Prince Harry¹⁰…Why Won’t He Marry?

They dredged up every relationship I’d ever had, every girl I’d ever been seen with, put it allinto a blender, hired “experts,” a.k.a. quacks¹¹, to try to make sense of it. Books about me dived intomy love life, homed in on each romantic failure and near miss. I seem to recall one detailing myflirtation with Cameron Diaz. Harry just couldn’t see himself with her, the author reported. IndeedI couldn’t, since we’d never met. I was never within fifty meters of Ms. Diaz, further proof that ifyou like reading pure bollocks then royal biographies are just your thing.

Behind all this hand-wringing about me was something more substantive¹² than “tittle-tattle.” Itwent to the whole underpinning¹³ of the monarchy¹⁴, which was based on marriage. The greatcontroversies about kings and queens, going back centuries, generally centered on whom theymarried, and whom they didn’t, and the children who issued from those unions. You weren’t afully vested member of the Royal Family, indeed a true human being, until you were wed⁷. Nocoincidence that Granny, head of state in sixteen countries, started every speech: “My husband andI…” When Willy and Kate married they became The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but moreimportant they became a Household, and as such were entitled to more staff, more cars, biggerhome, grander office, extra resources, engraved¹⁵ letterheads. I didn’t care about such perks¹⁶, but Idid care about respect. As a confirmed bachelor I was an outsider, a nonperson within my ownfamily. If I wanted that to change, I had to get hitched¹⁷. That simple.

All of which made my twenty-ninth birthday a complex milestone¹⁸, and some days a complexmigraine.

I shuddered¹⁹ to think of how I might feel on the next birthday: thirty. Truly over-the-hill. Tosay nothing of the inheritance it would trigger. Upon reaching thirty I’d receive a large sum left tome by Mummy. I scolded myself for being gloomy about that: most people would kill to inheritmoney. To me, however, it was another reminder²⁰ of her absence, another sign of the void she’dleft, which pounds and euros could never fill.

The best thing, I decided²¹, was to get away from birthdays, get away from everything. I decidedto mark the anniversary of my arrival on Earth by traveling to its end. I’d already been to theNorth Pole. Now I’d walk to the South.

Another trek²² in the company of Walking With The Wounded.

People warned me that the South Pole was even colder than the North. I laughed. How couldthat be possible? I’d already frozen my penis, mate—wasn’t that the very definition of worst-casescenario?

Also, this time I’d know how to take proper precautions—snugger underwear, more padding,etc. Better yet, one very close mate hired a seamstress to make me a bespoke²³ cock cushion.

Square, supportive, it was sewn from pieces of the softest fleece and…Enough said.

 

1 spotlighted   

v.聚光照明( spotlight的过去式和过去分词 )；使公众注意，使突出醒目

参考例句：

• The report has spotlighted real deprivation in the inner cities. 这篇报道披露了旧城区的贫困真相。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The paintings were spotlighted from below. 这些画用下面的聚光灯来照明。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

3 backwards   

adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地

参考例句：

• He turned on the light and began to pace backwards and forwards.他打开电灯并开始走来走去。
• All the girls fell over backwards to get the party ready.姑娘们迫不及待地为聚会做准备。

4 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。

5 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

6 magnesium   

n.镁

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The water contains high amounts of magnesium.这水含有大量的镁。

7 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

8 impending   

a.imminent, about to come or happen

参考例句：

• Against a background of impending famine, heavy fighting took place. 即将发生饥荒之时，严重的战乱爆发了。
• The king convoke parliament to cope with the impending danger. 国王召开国会以应付迫近眉睫的危险。

9 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

10 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

11 quacks   

abbr.quacksalvers 庸医，骗子(16世纪习惯用水银或汞治疗梅毒的人)n.江湖医生( quack的名词复数 )；江湖郎中；（鸭子的）呱呱声v.（鸭子）发出嘎嘎声( quack的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• I went everywhere for treatment, tried all sorts of quacks. 我四处求医，看过了各种各样的江湖郎中。 来自辞典例句
• Hard-working medical men may come to be almost as mischievous as quacks. 辛勤工作的医生可能变成江湖郎中那样的骗子。 来自辞典例句

12 substantive   

adj.表示实在的；本质的、实质性的；独立的；n.实词，实名词；独立存在的实体

参考例句：

• They plan to meet again in Rome very soon to begin substantive negotiations.他们计划不久在罗马再次会晤以开始实质性的谈判。
• A president needs substantive advice,but he also requires emotional succor. 一个总统需要实质性的建议，但也需要感情上的支持。

13 underpinning   

n.基础材料；基础结构；（学说、理论等的）基础；（人的）腿v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的现在分词 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• Underpinning this success has been an exemplary record of innovation. 具有典范性的创新确保了这次成功。 来自辞典例句
• But underpinning Mr Armstrong's technology changes is a human touch. 但阿姆斯特朗技术变革的支柱是人情味。 来自互联网

14 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。

15 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 perks   

额外津贴，附带福利，外快( perk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perks offered by the firm include a car and free health insurance. 公司给予的额外待遇包括一辆汽车和免费健康保险。
• Are there any perks that go with your job? 你的工作有什么津贴吗？

17 hitched   

（免费）搭乘他人之车( hitch的过去式和过去分词 )； 搭便车； 攀上； 跃上

参考例句：

• They hitched a ride in a truck. 他们搭乘了一辆路过的货车。
• We hitched a ride in a truck yesterday. 我们昨天顺便搭乘了一辆卡车。

18 milestone   

n.里程碑；划时代的事件

参考例句：

• The film proved to be a milestone in the history of cinema.事实证明这部影片是电影史上的一个里程碑。
• I think this is a very important milestone in the relations between our two countries.我认为这是我们两国关系中一个十分重要的里程碑。

19 shuddered   

v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• He slammed on the brakes and the car shuddered to a halt. 他猛踩刹车，车颤抖着停住了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I shuddered at the sight of the dead body. 我一看见那尸体就战栗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 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。

21 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

22 trek   

vi.作长途艰辛的旅行；n.长途艰苦的旅行

参考例句：

• We often go pony-trek in the summer.夏季我们经常骑马旅行。
• It took us the whole day to trek across the rocky terrain.我们花了一整天的时间艰难地穿过那片遍布岩石的地带。

23 bespoke   

adj.（产品）订做的；专做订货的v.预定( bespeak的过去式 )；订（货）；证明；预先请求

参考例句：

• His style of dressing bespoke great self-confidence. 他的衣着风格显得十分自信。
• The haberdasher presented a cap, saying,"Here is the cap your worship bespoke." 帽匠拿出一顶帽子来说：“这就是老爷您定做的那顶。” 来自辞典例句