中国网站品牌栏目（频道）
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 Who's been sitting in my throne? Miss Slack rehearsing for the State Opening of Parliament and the Queen taking part in the real thing |
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In 60 years, the Queen has never put a foot wrong in public. And for the last 24 of them, it turns out she’s had a secret weapon – the unassuming Ella Slack. The former BBC manager has, unbeknown to anyone except a handful of key advisers, spent the last quarter of a century acting as the Queen’s official stand-in at rehearsals for royal events. The 69-year-old from the Isle of Man has never accepted a penny for her loyal service, considering it ‘a pleasure and an honour’ to ensure that everything runs smoothly for the sovereign. ‘How many people in the world have had a chance to sit in a royal landau or walk onto the dais at Windsor Castle even before the Queen has done so?’ she said. While Miss Slack may not resemble the Queen facially, she has a similar build to the monarch, standing just shy of 5ft. The Queen is 5ft 2in. She began her remarkable role in 1988, when she was working as manager of the BBC’s sports and events department. A producer asked her if she could stand in for the Queen to check camera angles at a rehearsal for Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph – and her second career was born. Since then, from the State Opening of Parliament to the 50th anniversary of VE day, wherever the Queen is on duty Miss Slack is likely to have been there first. She has perfected her own version of the Queen’s wardrobe, including a black patent handbag she bought in a charity shop for £1, and even styles her hair like the Queen. Most recently, Miss Slack has been rehearsing for next weekend’s Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, braving the wind and rain on the royal barge. And she has won a coveted place in the flotilla on the day itself – in a boat named, appropriately enough, the Queen Elizabeth. (Read by Emily Cheng. Emily Cheng is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
60年来，英国女王在公众场合从来没有走错过一步路。 原来在过去的24年里她一直有个秘密武器，那就是她的替身——谦逊低调的艾拉•斯莱克。 她曾经是英国广播公司的一个主管，除了女王身边的几个资深顾问外，没有人知道她的存在。过去的四分之一个世纪里，她一直是女王皇室活动彩排的御用替身。 这位来自曼岛的69岁的老太太从未对自己提供的忠诚服务收过一分钱。她认为确保女王的活动一切顺利是“让人愉快和荣幸的事情”。 她说：“世界上有多少人有机会坐上皇家朗道马车、走上温莎堡的讲台，还能先于女王这么做呢？” 尽管斯莱克的脸长得并不像女王，但她的体型和女王相近，身高接近5英尺。 而女王的身高为5英尺2英寸。 她从1988年开始承担这一不平凡的使命，当时她在英国广播公司的体育赛事部担任主管。 那天一位制片人问她能否在纪念塔的纪念日仪式彩排上代替女王试镜，于是她的第二职业就诞生了。 从那以后，不论是英国国会开幕大典，还是欧洲胜利日50周年纪念庆典，只要是女王出席的场所，斯莱克总会先到那里。 她还完善了她的“女王穿戴”，包括一只黑色漆皮手提包，那是她在慈善商店花一英镑的价钱买的，甚至连她的发型也做成和女王相近的式样。 她最近一次当女王替身是为这周末举行的女王登基60周年钻石庆典泰晤士河巡礼做预演，风雨无阻地在皇家游艇上“工作”。 在巡礼当天，她也会在游行船队中获得自己梦寐以求的位置，没错，就是那艘名为“伊丽莎白女王”的航船。 相关阅读 （中国日报网英语点津 陈丹妮 编辑：Julie） |
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Vocabulary: unassuming: 谦虚的；不出风头的 unbeknown: 不为……所知的 stand-in: 替身 landau: 朗道马车（一种四轮马车） dais: 高台；讲台 shy of: 接近 brave: 勇敢地面对 |
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