威廉辦慈善婚禮 來賓賀禮統統給窮人
Most happy couples get ten toasters, bed linen or, at best, a washing machine. Royalty usually go one better – with a racehorse topping the Queen and Prince Philip’s gift list, while Prince Charles and Diana received a ?1 million gem-encrusted gold model of an Arab boat. However, Prince William and Kate Middleton, who want to put their own stamp on their big day, are shunning a traditional wedding list – and lavish gifts – and instead asking guests to donate to charity.
隨着威廉和凱特婚期一天天臨近，任何有關婚禮細節的新聞都會引起媒體的高度關注，媒體很好奇，凱特這一次嫁入皇室究竟會帶什麼“嫁妝”呢？是民間嫁女傳統的枕頭被套？是洗衣機？還是皇室嫁女的嫁妝---賽馬？（因爲查爾斯和戴安娜結婚時就大買百萬英鎊阿拉伯鍍金賽船做彩禮），媒體不僅好奇：這回凱特要什麼呢？這回凱特和威廉一起給出了答案：他們不要奢華彩禮，爲了紀念他們的愛情，他們會把印有他們頭像圖案的郵票做爲嫁妝，此外，凱特和威廉還呼籲來參加婚禮的賓客別送彩禮，直接捐錢給慈善，做公益。
The couple will accept presents from close family members, but other guests will be asked to make a confidential charitable donation. Courtiers yesterday confirmed that they are looking at the revolutionary scheme, which will raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for the chosen charities, yet to be decided. ‘William and Kate have everything they need so they have decided that it might be nice to ask for charitable donations instead of presents,’ a source said yesterday. ‘They have said this is their wish and the logistics are being looked into.’
據報道，這對新人還是會收取來自最親密的家庭成員的禮物，但是其他的客人們就只能慈善捐款給窮人來表達他們對新人的祝福了。皇室工作人員透露，威廉與凱特的這次大婚打算進行一次“歷史性的改革”，那就是募集上億善款給已經指定好的慈善機構。工作人員說：“威廉和凱特覺得他們已經擁有了所有東西，所以他們共同決定不收禮物，將屬於自己的幸福分給更需要的人，這些善款都回捐給慈善機構。”
All donations will be confidential and guests at the April 29 wedding will be advised on how to make postal and online donations when they receive invitations next month. About 300 guests are expected to attend the evening reception at Buckingham Palace, where Prince Charles is hosting a dinner and dance, but many more will be invited to the 11am ceremony and all will want to give gifts.
據悉，參加威廉與開忒4月29日婚禮的賓客所捐的善款都是保密的，而且皇室成員建議賓客們“網上募捐”，此外，“喜帖”的發放工作也在進行當中，估計下個月喜帖可以送達賓客手中。另外，關於參加婚禮賓客的人數已經初步定下了，共有300名賓客會受邀來到白金漢宮參加這對新人大婚舉行的晚宴，以及舞會。這300名賓客是精挑細選出來的，更多的客人會受邀參加早上11點舉行的結婚典禮。
When Prince Charles and Lady Diana married in July 1981, they received more than 6,000 gifts, including a piece of crocheted lace made from yarn personally spun by Mahatma Gandhi and a solid gold model of an Arab sailing dhow encrusted with gems from the Emir of Bahrain.
據悉，凱特與威廉這次“簡樸的婚禮”與他們的“父母”查爾斯與戴安娜王妃在1981的“奢華婚禮”形成了強烈對比，因爲當時查爾斯夫婦收取了超過6000份禮物，這些禮物價格不菲，包括巴林酋長贈送的純金阿拉伯單桅三角帆船等。
