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.

在眾多成為英國皇室成員的好處中,有一個是:你從來不需要用姓氏。如果你是皇室成員,每一個人都認識你。女王只有一位,比如,伊麗莎白從來不要說明誰是伊麗莎白。

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 網站提醒我們,皇室家族其實是有姓氏的。實際上英國皇室成員的姓氏嚴格來說叫 Windsor,只是我們不熟悉而已。

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.

皇室的網站解釋說,1917 年之前,每一位皇室成員不僅互相認識,在他們通知的領土上也被人熟知。舉個例子:維多利亞女王的長子 King Edward VII 全名叫做 Albert Edward Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,這個名字則完全繼承了他父親 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 的兒子,George V 面臨了一個難題:他的姓氏聽起來有點像德國人,這在一戰(zhàn)期間非常不受歡迎,所以他將家族的名字命名為 Windsor Castle。至此,維多利亞女王的后裔 ( 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,事情變的更加復雜起來,女王伊麗莎白二世 和她的丈夫菲利普親王決定在 Windsor 后面增加前綴,以區(qū)分王室后裔。所以,在官方文件上他們孩子的姓氏就變成了 Mountbatten-Windsor,這些官方文件指的便是結婚證明以及出生證明等等。 ( Netflix 公司的系列節(jié)目《The Crown》盡管沒有向我們詮釋關于改姓的整個故事,但也算抓住了王室關于改姓討論過程的細枝末節(jié)。 )

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.

再后來,國王和女王開始熱衷于改變自己的姓氏,這只是有先河之例但并非官方要求。有時候王室成員會用其它念起來朗朗上口的姓氏。Harry 和 William 王子就在軍隊服役時用Wales作為自己的姓氏,而這也是其父親的稱號—— Wales 親王。

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

面對如此復雜的命名方式,難怪大部分皇室成員更青睞自己的稱號。