VOA慢速：哈里梅根宣布退出英国王室

Harry and Meghan's Decision to Step Back

燕山大学 刘立军 供稿

【TRANSCRIPT】

Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have announced they will step back from senior positions in the royal family. The couple said they hope to become financially independent and create a new charity—while continuing some royal duties.

The move came as a surprise to the British royal family. Hours after the announcement appeared on Instagram, Buckingham Palace released a short statement. It said discussions with Harry and Meghan "were at an early stage" and that such complex issues take time to work out.

British media did not like the idea, either. The Daily Mirror called the announcement a "shocking disregard" for the Queen. The Sun described the decision as "Megxit." The word is a play on "Brexit"—a common term for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

It also raises questions about how the couple will earn a living, who will pay for their security, and what their new positions will involve.

l Security and living situation

In their announcement, Harry and Meghan said they plan to divide their time between Britain and North America.

Meghan was born in Los Angeles, California, and grew up in Hollywood. Harry and Meghan spent the last six weeks of 2019 in Canada. Their first official appearance of 2020 was a trip to Canada House in London, home of Canada's diplomatic mission to Britain.

They will continue to base themselves at Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of the queen's Windsor Castle while in Britain. The property was recently repaired at a cost of 2.4 million pounds ($3.13 million) by taxpayers.

The couple also made clear that they expect the government to continue to pay their security costs. This is required by the Home Office, which is responsible for security of the royal family. The cost of the security is not publicly available information. But it is estimated to cost hundreds of thousands of British pounds a year.

l How will they earn a living?

The couple said on their new website that they are seeking financial independence from the royal family's funding, known as the "Sovereign Grant". This is government money that covers the ongoing costs related to daily life and travel.

The couple said the grant represented about 5 percent of money needed to run their official office. They did not say if they will give up the remaining 95 percent, which comes from Prince Charles' centuries-old private estate.

The couple's new website, Sussex Royal, does not say exactly how they plan to fund themselves in the future. Last year, it was reported that Harry would be executive producer of a film on mental health for Apple's video streaming service. And royal writer Penny Junor suggested that Meghan, who starred in the television show Suits, might restart her acting career.

The couple has not said they would give up their royal names - the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And, their website noted that other royal family members have kept their titles while earning money in other ways.

l Marriage—and the media

Harry and Meghan married in May 2018 in a ceremony in Windsor Castle. Their marriage was considered at the time to be a sign of a more modern monarchy.

Their son, Archie, was born in May 2019.

The family's relationship with the media has worsened quickly over time, as they struggled to deal with the pressure, criticism and scrutiny.

Harry described the media's treatment of his wife as "bullying," and likened it to that of his mother before her death. His mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in France in 1997 while being chased by paparazzi.

Harry and Meghan announced they plan to greatly change media access to their official events. They will no longer take part in the traditional "royal rota" system, which is an agreement providing access for royal correspondents.

The royal rota system permits access to their appearances and events by official correspondents. These correspondents take photographs and videos, which they then share with others in the media.

Now the couple said their plan is to speak directly to the public through social media. They plan to deny automatic access to some royal correspondents.

The change may make them more of a target for paparazzi photographers, who will no longer worry about losing access to official events if they are already excluded.

I'm Caty Weaver. And I'm Pete Musto.

Adapted from http://www.kekenet.com/broadcast/202001/603417.shtml

【VOCABULARY】

1. scrutiny n.（不可数名词）(formal) careful and thorough examination 仔细检查；认真彻底的审查（同义词）inspection例如：

l Her argument doesn't really stand up to scrutiny. 她的观点经不起认真推敲。

l Foreign policy has come under close scrutiny recently. 近来，政府的外交政策受到了认真彻底的审查。

l The documents should be available for public scrutiny. 这些文件应被公之于世，交由公众审议。

2. paparazzo n.（常用复数 paparazzi）a photographer who follows famous people around in order to get interesting photographs of them to sell to a newspaper 猎奇名流的摄影记者；狗仔队

【QUESTIONS】

TASK I

Listen to the news and choose the best answer to each question you hear.

(Q1) What's Harry and Meghan's announcement?

(A) They will step back from senior positions in the royal family.

(B) They will step back from junior positions in the royal family.

(C) They will become financially dependent.

(D) They will not create a new charity.

(Q2) What's the reaction of the British royal family to the announcement?

(A) Excited.

(B) Indifferent.

(C) Angry.

(D) Surprising.

(Q3) Which British Media described the decision as "Megxit"?

(A) The Daily Mirror.

(B) The Sun.

(C) The Guardian.

(D) Instagram.

TASK II

Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

1. It also raises questions about how the couple will earn a living, who will pay for their security, and what their new positions will involve.

2. In their announcement, Harry and Meghan said they plan to divide their time between Britain and France.

3. Meghan was born in Los Angelesand grew up in Hollywood.

4. They will continue to base themselves at Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of the queen's Windsor Castle while in Britain.

5. The couple made clear that they expect the government to continue to pay their security costs. This is required by the Royal Family.

6. The couple said on their new website that they are seeking financial independence from the Home Office's funding, known as the "Sovereign Grant".

7. The couple said the grant represented about 5 percent of money needed to run their official office. They will give up the remaining 95 percent, which comes from Prince Charles' centuries-old private estate.

8. The couple's new website, Sussex Royal, tells exactly how they plan to fund themselves in the future.

9. The couple has not said they would give up their royal names—the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

10. Harry and Meghan married in May 2018 in a ceremony in Windsor Castle.

11. Harry described the media's treatment of his wife as "bullying", and likened it to that of his mother before her death.

12. Harry and Meghan announced they plan to slightly change media access to their official events.

13. The traditional "royal rota" system is an agreement providing access for royal correspondents.

14. Now the couple said their plan is to speak directly to the public through social media. They plan to deny automatic access to some royal correspondents, which may make them less of a target for paparazzi photographers.

【KEY】

TASK I

(Q1) A。细节题。命题出处：Britain's Prince Harry and his wife Meghan have announced they will step back from senior positions in the royal family. The couple said they hope to become financially independent and create a new charity—while continuing some royal duties.

(Q2) D。细节题。命题出处：The move came as a surprise to the British royal family. Hours after the announcement appeared on Instagram, Buckingham Palace released a short statement. It said discussions with Harry and Meghan "were at an early stage" and that such complex issues take time to work out.

(Q3) B。细节题。命题出处：British media did not like the idea, either. The Daily Mirror called the announcement a "shocking disregard" for the Queen. The Sun described the decision as "Megxit." The word is a play on "Brexit"—a common term for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union.

TASK II

Read the statements. Then listen to the news and decide whether the statements are true (T) or false (F).

T  1. It also raises questions about how the couple will earn a living, who will pay for their security, and what their new positions will involve.

F  2. In their announcement, Harry and Meghan said they plan to divide their time between Britain and France.（正确表达）In their announcement, Harry and Meghan said they plan to divide their time between Britain and North America.

T  3. Meghan was born in Los Angeles and grew up in Hollywood.

T  4. They will continue to base themselves at Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of the queen's Windsor Castle while in Britain.

F  5. The couple made clear that they expect the government to continue to pay their security costs. This is required by the Royal Family.（正确表达）The couple made clear that they expect the government to continue to pay their security costs. This is required by the Home Office.

F  6. The couple said on their new website that they are seeking financial independence from the Home Office's funding, known as the "Sovereign Grant".（正确表达）The couple said on their new website that they are seeking financial independence from the royal family's funding, known as the "Sovereign Grant".

F  7. The couple said the grant represented about 5 percent of money needed to run their official office. They will give up the remaining 95 percent, which comes from Prince Charles' centuries-old private estate.（正确表达）The couple said the grant represented about 5 percent of money needed to run their official office. They did not say if they will give up the remaining 95 percent, which comes from Prince Charles' centuries-old private estate.

F  8. The couple's new website, Sussex Royal, tells exactly how they plan to fund themselves in the future.（正确表达）The couple's new website, Sussex Royal, does not say exactly how they plan to fund themselves in the future.

T  9. The couple has not said they would give up their royal names—the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

T  10. Harry and Meghan married in May 2018 in a ceremony in Windsor Castle.

T  11. Harry described the media's treatment of his wife as "bullying", and likened it to that of his mother before her death.

F  12. Harry and Meghan announced they plan to slightly change media access to their official events.（正确表达）Harry and Meghan announced they plan to greatly change media access to their official events.

T  13. The traditional "royal rota" system is an agreement providing access for royal correspondents.

F  14. Now the couple said their plan is to speak directly to the public through social media. They plan to deny automatic access to some royal correspondents, which may make them less of a target for paparazzi photographers.（正确表达）Now the couple said their plan is to speak directly to the public through social media. They plan to deny automatic access to some royal correspondents, which may make them more of a target for paparazzi photographers.