Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge
Kate and Prince William met in 2001 at St. Andrews University in Scotland, and dated on-and-off for nearly a decade. Their wedding took place on April 29, 2011, and was a worldwide phenomenon. The pair are still one of the most beloved royal couples, and Kate is expecting their second child now.
Jetsun Pema, Queen of Bhutan
The prince first met Jetsun when she was 7 years old and he was 17 at a family picnic. He told her that if she was still single and he was still single when she grew up, they would marry. He was true to his word. On October 13, 2011, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck married his 21-year-old bride Jetsun Pema in a traditional Buddhist ceremony.
Tatiana Blatnik, Princess of Greece and Denmark
Tatiana, a former event planner for fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg, met Prince Nikolaos in 2003 while on a ski vacation through a mutual friend. Previously, the prince had been known as a long-time bachelor. They were married on August 25, 2010 in a traditional Greek ceremony.
劍橋公爵夫人凱特·米德爾頓
2001年,凱特和威廉王子相識于蘇格蘭的圣安德魯斯大學(xué)。兩人分分合合近十年之后,于2011年4月29日舉辦了婚禮,成為當(dāng)時轟動全球的一樁盛事。目前兩人仍是最受喜愛的王室夫婦之一,凱特現(xiàn)在正期待著他們第二個孩子的降生。
不丹王后吉增·佩瑪
王子初次遇見吉增是在一次家庭野餐聚會上,那時吉增7歲,王子17歲。王子對她說,如果她成年之后,她尚未出嫁,他仍未娶妻,那么彼此就結(jié)為夫婦。王子沒有食言。2011年10月13日,已成為不丹國王的吉格梅·凱薩爾·納姆耶爾·旺楚克按照傳統(tǒng)佛教儀式舉辦婚禮,迎娶了時年21歲的吉增·佩瑪。
希臘王妃塔蒂亞娜·布拉特尼克
塔蒂亞娜曾任時裝設(shè)計師迪亞娜·馮菲爾斯滕貝格的活動策劃人。2003年,她在一次滑雪度假期間經(jīng)由兩人共同的一位朋友認識了尼古拉斯王子。眾所周知,這位王子此前已經(jīng)單身了很多年。2010年8月25日,兩人舉辦了傳統(tǒng)的希臘婚禮,喜結(jié)連理。
Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales
Prince Charles briefly dated Diana's older sister Sarah, but it was the young Diana who made an impression on the prince. They started dating when she was only 19 years old and he was over 30. Diana married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981. They divorced on August 28, 1996, and she tragically died in a car crash almost a year later on August 31, 1997.
Michiko Shoda, Empress of Japan
Michiko met the Emperor Akihito of Japan at a tennis match in Karuizawa1) in 1957. Many officials opposed their marriage (including the Emperor's mother) and wanted the Crown Prince to marry someone from the former Imperial family or Japanese monarchy2) instead. But the pair persevered and have been married since April 10, 1959. They have three children together, and even went against tradition by raising their kids themselves instead of entrusting3) them to the Court chamberlains4).
Maxima Zorreguieta, Queen of the Netherlands
Maxima met Willem-Alexander, heir5) apparent to the Dutch crown, in Spain during the Seville Spring Fair. The couple said in interviews that Maxima had no idea he was a prince, and thought he was joking when he finally told her the truth. They were married on February 2, 2002, and have three daughters together. Maxima became Queen of the Netherlands as Willem-Alexander ascended6) the throne on April 30, 2013.
Lillian May Davies, Princess of Sweden
A fashion model from Wales, Lillian fell in love with Sweden's Prince Bertil in 1943—but because she was a divorced commoner7) and he was still a possible heir to the throne, they just quietly lived together for more than 30 years, until the current king gave them permission to wed in 1976, when she was 61, her groom 64.
威爾士王妃戴安娜·斯賓塞
查爾斯王子曾與戴安娜的姐姐薩拉有過一段短暫的交往,但令王子印象深刻的卻是年輕的戴安娜。兩人開始交往時,戴安娜年方19,查爾斯已逾30。1981年7月29日,戴安娜嫁給了查爾斯王子。1996年8月28日,兩人離婚了。在他們離婚差不多一年后的1997年8月31日,戴安娜遭遇車禍,不幸去世。
日本皇后正田美智子
美智子于1957年在輕井澤的一場網(wǎng)球比賽上邂逅了日本明仁天皇(編注:當(dāng)時還未即位)。當(dāng)初很多官員都反對兩人的婚事(包括天皇的母親),希望皇太子迎娶皇親國戚或日本王族的女子為妻。但兩人苦苦堅持,于1959年4月10日結(jié)婚,并相守至今。他們育有三個孩子,甚至還打破傳統(tǒng),親自撫養(yǎng)子女,而不是將子女托付給皇室管家。
荷蘭王后馬克西瑪·索雷吉耶塔
馬克西瑪在西班牙塞維利亞春季展覽會期間邂逅了荷蘭王儲威廉-亞歷山大。這對夫婦在多次采訪中表示,馬克西瑪當(dāng)時并不知道威廉是王子,最后威廉說出實情時,馬克西瑪還以為他在開玩笑。兩人于2002年2月2日結(jié)婚,膝下共有三個女兒。2013年4月30日,威廉-亞歷山大即位,馬克西瑪隨即成為荷蘭王后。
瑞典王妃莉蓮·梅·戴維斯
莉蓮是威爾士人,原是一位時裝模特,1943年跟瑞典王子貝蒂爾相愛。然而,由于她是一位離過婚的平民,而貝蒂爾仍然可能是王位繼承人,因此30多年來他們只是默默地住在一起(編注:如果婚姻不受《王位繼承法》承認,王子將失去繼承權(quán)),直到1976年現(xiàn)任國王允許他們結(jié)婚——當(dāng)時她已61歲,她的新郎64歲。
1. Karuizawa: 輕井澤,日本著名的避暑勝地,素有“東京后花園”之稱。
2. monarchy [?m?n?ki] n. 皇室;王族
3. entrust [?n?tr?st] vt. 委托;交付
4. chamberlain [?t?e?mb?l?n] n. (王室或貴族的)管家,總管
5. heir [e?(r)] n. 繼承人
6. ascend [??send] vt. (君主)登基,即位
7. commoner [?k?m?n?(r)] n. 平民;無貴族稱號的人