the royal family
/ðə ˌrɔɪəl ˈfæməli/
/ðə ˌrɔɪəl ˈfæməli/
- (in Britain
英国 王室：这个词用来指代现在的女王和她的家庭：她的丈夫菲利普亲王及其子女，查尔斯王子，安妮公主，安德鲁王子和爱德华王子以及他们的妻子或丈夫，子女和孙子女 CultureThe wider family, who gather on ceremonial occasions, includes the Queen's cousins and their children. The present royal house (= ruling family) is the House of Windsor and Elizabeth II is descended from William I (1066-97), and before that from Egbert, King of Wessex (802-39). In the past the monarch or sovereign (= king or queen) had sole power but over time the sovereign's powers have been reduced and, though the present Queen is still head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, she acts on the advice of her ministers and Britain is in practice governed by Her Majesty's Government.The Queen has some official duties, such as opening a new session of Parliament and giving royal assent to new laws, but her main role is as a representative of Britain and the British people. She is also head of the Commonwealth and works to make links between member countries stronger. Other members of the royal family also represent Britain, act as patrons of British cultural organizations and support the work of charities.Through most of the 20th century, the royal family were only seen on formal occasions and remained distant and dignified. However, at the end of the 20th century, the younger members of the royal family began to live more public lives and attracted enormous media attention, and traditional respect for the royal family began to decline. Especially after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the royal family was criticized and many people began to think that they were out of touch with modern attitudes. Since then they have tried to be more open and to meet a wider range of people.Some people in Britain have no strong feelings about the royal family although they might like some aspects of the monarchy to be more modern. Others would not want to see any big changes. There are also people who would prefer not to have a monarchy, to be citizens rather than subjects.