宏浩翻譯有限公司

◎陳正健

More than half of Britons want Prince William to be the next King of England instead of Prince Charles. According to a recent poll, 54 per cent want the accession to skip a generation when the Queen passes away, with Prince William taking the throne in place of his father.

英國過半民眾希望威廉王子成為下任英格蘭國王，而非王儲查爾斯。根據一項最新民調，54%的民眾盼望女王過世後，能夠隔代繼任，由威廉代替他的父親登基。

In contrast, just 25% think it should be Charles. Even more women favour the 34-year-old to become the next monarch, with 60 per cent of women backing William, compared with 47 per cent of men.

相較之下，只有25%覺得查爾斯適任。甚至有更多女性贊成34歲的威廉成為下任君主，有60%的女性支持威廉，對比男性的47%。

The poll also found that two-thirds （66 per cent） believe the monarchy benefits the UK economy. Some 55% said they feel proud of the monarchy and 66% supported retaining it instead of becoming a republic.

這份民調也發現，有3分之2（66%）的民眾相信，王室有助於英國的經濟。約55%受訪民眾表示，他們對君主制感到驕傲，而且有66%的民眾支持保留舊制，而非改成共和制。

Polls in Commonwealth Realms tell a similar story. In Canada, a recent poll found 40% of Canadians found Charles "boring" and 32% thought he was "unimportant". In contrast, 67% found The Queen "respected" and 47% agreed William was also "respected".

大英國協其他國家的民調也有類似情況。在加拿大，最近一項民調發現，40%的加拿大人認為查爾斯「很無聊」，另有32%覺得他「不重要」。相較之下，有67%覺得女王「受到尊敬」，還有47%同意威廉也「受到尊敬」。

新聞辭典

accession：名詞，就任，繼承。例句：This event occurred just at the accession of Henry the First.（這個事件正好發生在亨利一世繼位的時候。）

monarchy：名詞，君主制，君主政體。例句：The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.（英國今日的君主制象徵意義大於實質。）

throne：名詞，王位，王權，教皇位。例句：The prince laid claim to the throne. （王子宣稱有權繼承王位。）