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Her Majesty has invited the largest gathering in decades to celebrate Prince George’s first Christmas, meaning her frantic staff will have to put some visitors in servants’ rooms. Although even with some 30 of her nearest and dearest arriving today, the Queen still could find no room for Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson. The Duke of York and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie are reportedly on the guest list, but their mother was left off. Many who did get an invitation will have to share bedrooms, move to cottages on the estate or sleep in servants’ quarters. It is quite a change from last year, when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent Christmas Day with Kate’s parents in Berkshire and Prince Harry was on duty in Afghanistan. The year before, Prince Philip was in hospital for an operation. Those likely to have servants’ rooms include the Queen’s nephew Viscount Linley, his wife Serena and their children. His sister Lady Sarah Chatto, her husband Daniel and children are also likely to be included. They could be housed in what is known as the Bachelor Wing because it houses single male staff members, usually chefs and kitchen porters. The influx of guests could see them relegated to the footmen’s bedrooms. A source said: ‘Sandringham is a large house but everyone will be crammed in like sardines. There are just so many young royals now with children and the numbers keep going up. ‘It’s great for the Queen but a nightmare to cater for.’ Sandringham House, in Norfolk, has been the private home of four generations of British monarchs since 1862. Despite being set in 600 acres of woodland, the house is small by royal standards and quarters are said to be ‘cramped’. The Queen will insist on guests joining her today. The family follow the German tradition of opening presents on Christmas Eve before donning black tie for a candlelit banquet. At 10pm, the women adjourn, leaving Prince Philip to serve port or brandy to the men. On Christmas morning, they attend St Mary Magdalene, the church on the estate, before a turkey lunch at 1pm. They watch the Queen’s Christmas message on television before playing games. |
即使贵为英国女王，有时也会烦恼“房子不够住”。据英国《每日邮报》网站报道，当地时间12月23日，英女王伊丽莎白二世的私人府邸——位于诺福克郡的桑德林厄姆庄园——迎来参加圣诞聚会的王室成员。然而由于客房数量不够，某些来宾不得不住进佣人房。 今年，小王子乔治将度过人生中的第一个圣诞节。为此，小王子的曾祖母、伊丽莎白二世女王特意邀请了大约30位至亲好友来到桑德林厄姆庄园共度圣诞，这也成为多年来英国王室成员最大型的聚会。 不过，因为庄园客房紧张，地位较低的王室成员将需要“拼房”、被安排住进庄园农舍或者佣人房。《每日邮报》称，安德鲁王子的前妻莎拉•弗格森、女王的外甥林利子爵一家，以及林利子爵的妹妹莎拉•查托一家可能“榜上有名”，“他们将会住进‘单身汉公寓’，这些房间平时供庄园里的单身男性员工居住，通常是厨师或者厨房搬运工”。 早在1862年，桑德林厄姆庄园就成为英国君主的私人府邸。尽管庄园占地面积高达600英亩（约合243公顷），但按照王室标准，庄园的房屋建筑面积并不大，用来居住的部分更是狭小。 “桑德林厄姆庄园很大，但今年住进庄园的人会挤得像罐头里的沙丁鱼。这次，很多年轻的王室成员都带着孩子，宾客的数量不断增加。”一位熟悉庄园状况的消息人士表示，“对于女王而言，这将是一场盛大的圣诞聚会。但在侍者看来，这是一场噩梦。” 按照安排，女王要求客人们在23日抵达庄园。平安夜时，王室成员将先拆开礼物，然后享用烛光晚宴，晚上10点左右，女士们离场，菲利普亲王用波尔图葡萄酒和白兰地来招待男士。25日上午，王室成员将前往教堂，吃过火鸡午餐后，他们会一起坐在电视机前观看女王的圣诞致辞。 据悉，女王和丈夫菲利普亲王将在桑德林厄姆庄园休假到明年2月份。 相关阅读 （信莲） |
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