英国王室卖货补贴“家用”，一双袜子售价69英镑 Queen Elizabeth sells socks to solve royal cash crisis

即使是英国女王也未能逃脱新冠肺炎疫情而导致的经济损失。但现在女王希望通过在网上出售袜子来填补王室6400万英镑的财政损失。

The new items on offer at the Royal Collection store come with hefty price tags, however, with the socks priced at £69 a pair.
然而，皇家收藏商店所出售的新产品标价很高，袜子的价格是69英镑（约合人民币610元）一双。

The website gushes: ‘Lovingly crafted and 100 percent cashmere, these luxurious bedtime socks are sumptuously soft and the perfect present.’
该网站宣称：“这双奢华的睡袜做工精美，100%山羊绒，质地柔软，是送礼的最佳选择。”

And just in case the cable-knit socks, available in silver and ‘natural’ colors, are not warming enough, there are matching hot-water bottle covers, a snip at £115 – although that does include the rubber bottle itself.
如果银色和原色的扭绳花纹袜子不够保暖，还有配套的热水袋套，售价115英镑（约合人民币1017元），而这个价格也包括了橡胶水袋。

In contrast, the George at Asda version is just £5.
相比之下，阿斯达超市乔治牌同款产品只需要5英镑（约合人民币44元）。

With Royal palaces closed to visitors because of the pandemic, the Royal Collection’s online shop is the only way it can sell souvenirs – although those looking for cheap trinkets are likely to baulk at the eye-watering prices.
英国王室宫殿因疫情而对游客关闭，皇家收藏网上商店是出售纪念品的唯一途径——尽管那些想要购买廉价小饰品的人可能会因高昂的价格望而却步。

For instance, the Buckingham Palace Candle, noted for its ‘refreshing scent of delicate jasmine’ and whose design is said to be ‘inspired by the geometric planting of gardens of the French renaissance’, costs £115.
例如，白金汉宫蜡烛以其“清香的茉莉花香”而闻名，据说其设计“灵感来自法国文艺复兴时期花园呈几何分布的种植”，售价115英镑（约合人民币1017元）。

Among the cheaper items are a £12.95 Buckingham Palace ‘dog bandana’, and a timely range of face masks priced £9.95. Available in yellow, pink or blue, they are printed with a design inspired by a partridge eye pattern that features on an 18th Century porcelain collection amassed mostly by the extravagant George IV.
比较便宜的商品有12.95英镑（约合人民币115元）的白金汉宫“小狗围巾”，以及一系列售价9.95英镑（约合人民币88元）的口罩。有黄色、粉色或蓝色可选，印花设计的灵感来自于一种鹧鸪眼图案，这种图案是18世纪瓷器收藏的特色，这些瓷器大多是由奢侈的乔治四世收藏的。

The masks were unveiled last November, just days after the Queen was pictured in a face covering for the first time, when she visited the grave of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey to mark the centenary of his burial.
这些口罩是2020年11月上架的，就在开售前几天，女王第一次被拍到戴着这款口罩，当时她正在威斯敏斯特教堂参加无名战士墓的百年纪念活动。

Sales will boost the coffers of The Royal Collection Trust, the charity responsible for maintaining the artwork and furniture the Queen holds in trust for her heirs and the nation.
这些商品的销量将增加皇家收藏信托基金会的资金，该基金会负责维护女王为其继承人和国家托管的艺术品和家具。

Its finances have been severely hit by the pandemic, with its latest annual report predicting a devastating £64 million drop in income by the end of the financial year.
该公司的财务状况受到疫情的严重打击，其最新年度报告预测，到本财年末，公司的收入将大幅减少6400万英镑（约合人民币5.67亿元）。

It has secured an emergency loan of £22 million from Royal bankers Coutts but has warned that ‘significant’ cuts will be needed to balance the books.
它已经从皇家银行那里获得了2200万英镑（约合人民币1.95亿元）的紧急贷款，但被警告其需要大幅削减开支，以平衡账目。

来源：沪江英语