你想过没：为什么英国皇室成员没有姓？

Among the many upsides to being British royalty, there is this: You never have to use a last name. For one thing, everyone already knows who you are. There’s only one Queen, for instance, so it’s not like Elizabeth has to specify which one she is.

在众多成为英国皇室成员的好处中,有一个是:你从来不需要用姓氏。如果你是皇室成员,每一个人都认识你。女王只有一位,比如,伊丽莎白从来不要说明谁是伊丽莎白。

However, the British royal family does have a last name, as Business Insider reminds us. The British royal family’s last name is technically Windsor, but that’s a relatively new development.

然而,Business Insider 网站提醒我们,皇室家族其实是有姓氏的。实际上英国皇室成员的姓氏严格来说叫 Windsor,只是我们不熟悉而已。

Before 1917, royals were usually known by the territory they ruled or the Royal House of which they were a member, as the Royal Family’s website explains. For example: The full name of Queen Victoria’s eldest son, King Edward VII, was Albert Edward Saxe-Coburg-Gotha—a mouthful he inherited from his father, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

皇室的网站解释说,1917 年之前,每一位皇室成员不仅互相认识,在他们通知的领土上也被人熟知。举个例子:维多利亚女王的长子 King Edward VII 全名叫做 Albert Edward Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,这个名字则完全继承了他父亲 Albert Saxe-Coburg-Gotha 王子的名字。

In 1917, though, Edward’s son, George V, was presented with a conundrum: His surname sounded somewhat German, which was an unwelcome association during World War I, so he named his family after Windsor Castle. Since then, any descendants of Queen Victoria (aside from married women) bear the last name Windsor.

1917 年,Edward 的儿子,George V 面临了一个难题:他的姓氏听起来有点像德国人,这在一战期间非常不受欢迎,所以他将家族的名字命名为 Windsor Castle。至此,维多利亚女王的后裔 ( 除了已婚女性 ) 都改姓 Windsor。

In 1960, to make things more confusing, Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, decided to add their own spin to the Windsor name, distinguishing their descendants from the rest of the royal family. So her children and their children can use Mountbatten-Windsor as their surname on official documents such as marriage and birth certificates. (Fans of Netflix'sThe Crown caught a glimpse of the discussions that went into the surname decision, though the series didn't tell the full story.)

到了 1960 年,事情变的更加复杂起来,女王伊丽莎白二世 和她的丈夫菲利普亲王决定在 Windsor 后面增加前缀,以区分王室后裔。所以,在官方文件上他们孩子的姓氏就变成了 Mountbatten-Windsor,这些官方文件指的便是结婚证明以及出生证明等等。 ( Netflix 公司的系列节目《The Crown》尽管没有向我们诠释关于改姓的整个故事,但也算抓住了王室关于改姓讨论过程的细枝末节。 )

Kings and queens are welcome to change the last names of their family at will, since it’s a matter of precedent rather than an official decree. And royals sometimes adopt other names when it’s convenient. Princes Harry and William used Wales as their last name while serving in the military, adopting their father’s designation as the Prince of Wales.

再后来,国王和女王开始热衷于改变自己的姓氏,这只是有先河之例但并非官方要求。有时候王室成员会用其它念起来朗朗上口的姓氏。Harry 和 William 王子就在军队服役时用Wales作为自己的姓氏,而这也是其父亲的称号—— Wales 亲王。

With such a complicated naming protocol, it’s no wonder most Royal Family members go by their titles instead.

面对如此复杂的命名方式,难怪大部分皇室成员更青睐自己的称号。