英国当地时间周三深夜，女王陛下突然下令传召全国各地的王室侍从赶回伦敦白金汉宫，准备于第二天召开紧急会议。
不仅仅是英国民众，貌似全世界的人都在关注周四早上10点的那场紧急会议谈了些啥。
ZEK:“为啥我如此紧张白金汉宫的紧急会议？ 我又不是英国人！”
Rose:“我好怕怕，不过可能她只是下令取消了《皇冠》第二季的播出而已”。
由于女王与亲王分别高龄91岁和95岁，一时间也引爆外媒和网友的各种紧张猜测。
法国媒体惊爆菲利普逝世
之后知情人士透漏，会议与此二人的健康状况无关。
白金汉宫于当地时间周四早上十点发出官方声明：
His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh has decided that he will no longer carry out public engagements from the autumn of this year. In taking this decision, The Duke has the full support of The Queen.
爱丁堡公爵决定，从今年秋季开始，将不再从事公共活动(public engagements)。这一决定得到了女王的全力支持。
白金汉宫声明
原来菲利普亲王赶在下个月96岁生日之前赶紧“退休了”。所以，大家都太紧张了！（微笑脸）
周五一早，菲利普亲王的微笑脸出现在英国各大报纸头版，媒体纷纷表达对亲王的敬意与感谢。
英国《每日电讯报》
英国《泰晤士报》
英国《每日邮报》
报纸上他被叫做“英国祖父” (grandfather of the nation)。 《邮报》写到，菲利普亲王在女王危机的时候支持她，窘迫的时候打破僵局 (he shored her up in times of crisis and broke the ice when shyness overcame her)，简直就是一对“空前的完美搭档”( the greatest double act of all time)。
网友们纷纷表示：年纪这么大了，也该安享晚年了，希望两位老人健康。
他在漫长的生涯中，确实做了许多事：
——@Hannah Furness趣事：老爷子已独自参加22191次公共活动，637次海外出访并做了5493次演讲
——@RoyalFamily 从1952起，爱丁堡公爵已经独自完成了22191次公共活动
很多人认为他的退休是辛苦挣来的：
——@Emily Andrews 菲利普王子的退休是自己争取来的。下个月他就要过96岁生日了，而他在去年就完成了219次国事活动
前任首相卡梅伦也推特说：爱丁堡公爵是一位杰出的“公仆”。我们都欠他一打感谢，我一直很享受和他搭档（工作）的日子，特别是他做的烧烤！
但也有网友嘲讽：他根本没有工作过，何来退休一说？
所以就有小伙伴好奇了，英国王室成员的日常工作是什么呢？菲利普亲王在工作期间的职责又是什么呢？
Members of the Royal Family support The Queen in her many State and national duties, as well as carrying out important work in the areas of public and charitable service, and helping to strengthen national unity and stability.
王室成员支持女王在许多国家和地区的职责，并且帮助女王执行社会公共事业和慈善事业中的重要工作，由此来巩固国家的团结和稳定。
Those who undertake official duties are members of The Queen's close family: her children, grandchildren and their spouses, and The Queen's cousins (the children of King George VI's brothers) and their spouses.
承担这些官方职责的是女王的家人，包括：儿女及其配偶、孙子孙女及其配偶、女王堂兄弟姐妹（也就是乔治六世其他的孩子）及其配偶。
Every year the Royal Family as a whole carries out over 2,000 official engagements throughout the UK and worldwide.
每一年在英国和全世界范围内，王室人员都会执行或参与超过2000个官方活动。
These engagements may include official State responsibilities. Members of the Royal Family often carry out official duties in the UK and abroad where The Queen cannot be present in person.
这些活动包括许多国家官方职责。王室成员经常在女王不能出席的场合下代表女王执行相关公务。
Members of the Royal Family also often represent The Queen and the nation in Commonwealth or other countries, at events such as State funerals or national festivities, or through longer visits to strengthen Britain's diplomatic and economic relations.
王室成员也经常代表女王，到英联邦国家或者其他国家，参加国家葬礼或国家宴会，或者通过访问加强英国同他国的外交和经济关系。
The Royal Family also plays an important role in supporting and encouraging the public and charity sectors. About 3,000 organisations list a member of the Royal Family as patron or president.
王室在支持和鼓励公众和慈善事业中也扮演着重要的角色。大约3000个组织中，王室人员都担当赞助人或者总理事。
The huge range of these organisations - covering every subject from education to the environment, hospitals to housing - allows members of the Royal Family to meet people from a wide spectrum of national and local life, and to understand their interests, problems and concerns.
这些组织覆盖各个方面，从教育到环境，从医院到住房。它们使得王室成员能够接触到国家和地区的各类人员，从而了解它们的利益、问题和担忧。
据官方统计
王室每年参加的官方活动达到2,000个
王室住所每年款待的人数高达70,000人
王室每年收到和答复的信件多达100,000封
The Duke of Edinburgh is Patron, President or a member of over 780 organisations.
就菲利普亲王而言，他是超过780个组织的赞助人或总理事。
看看亲王最近的日程表，虽然跟咱们课表没得比，但是对于一个95岁高龄的老爷爷来说还是相当不容易的。
这位“英国祖父”最近还出席了一场曲棍球的活动呢。
既然王室的工作有这么多，那么谁给他们发薪水呢？他们靠什么来维系这么庞大王室的开销呢？
The Telegraph reports that it costs about £300 million ($368 million) to run the British monarchy each year. Their funding actually comes from a few different sources, both Sovereign Grant and Privy Purse.
据《每日电讯报》报道，英国王室每年花销约为3亿英镑（约合3.68亿美元）。王室开销的资金有多种渠道，主要来源于君王拨款(Sovereign Grant)与私人收入(Privy Purse)。
每年，女王会领取一笔君王拨款，主要有以下几类资金来源：
第一：王室年俸 The Civil List
The Civil List, to meet official expenditure relating to The Queen’s duties as Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth. This expenditure is met from public funds, in exchange for the surrender of revenue from the Crown Estate.
这项开支用于女王以国家和联邦元首身份履行公务，由公款支付。为此，女王必须放弃收取从王室地产(the Crown Estate)获得的收益。
The Crown Estate is a collection of lands and holdings in the United Kingdom，which is neither government property nor part of the monarch's private estate. In 1760, George III surrendered control over the Estate's revenues to the treasury, thus relieving him of the responsibility of personally paying for the costs of the civil service, defence costs, the national debt, and his own personal debts. In return, he received an annual grant known as the Civil list.
王室地产负责运营英国境内的各大地产项目，是一家独立于政府和王室运作的机构。1760年，英王乔治三世与政府达成协议，放弃王室地产的收益权利，每年把受益上交政府，从而免除君主支付公务人员薪酬、国防开销、国家以及个人债务的责任。作为交换，乔治三世每年会从政府得到王室年俸。
The Queen does not receive any money from the Crown Estate. The annual revenue surplus from the Crown Estate is received by the Treasury. Instead, the Queen is given an amount of money equivalent to 15% of the Crown Estate's profits by the Treasury.
也就是说，女王并不由王室地产供养，王室地产每年的收益都要上缴政府，也就是财政部。作为回馈，每年财政部从收益中拿出15%支付给女王。
Only the Duke of Edinburgh receives funding from the Civil List. This amounts to £359,000 per annum.
目前的王室成员里，只有爱丁堡公爵，也就是女王的丈夫菲利普亲王才收取王室专款， 一年是35.9万英镑。
第二：皇室补助金 The Grand-in-Aid
The Grant-in-Aid is offered for the upkeep of Occupied Royal Palaces and for Royal travel, for air and rail journeys associated with official engagements.
皇室补助金是用于白金汉宫等皇家宫殿的维修和管理，以及用于支付王室成员的差旅费。
The grant doesn't cover costs of security and royal ceremonies.
但是，补助金里不包括王室人员安保费用和王室各类仪式费用。
For the Royal Wedding of William and Kate on April 29, 2011, the cost is paid by both families of William and Kate. The only expense from the taxpayer is the public security for protecting the audiences.
2011年4月29日威廉和凯特办婚礼的时候，婚礼费用由新郎和新娘两家共同支付。让纳税人掏腰包的是公共安保开销——主要是保护观礼的老百姓。
除了公款补贴，女王还是有稳定的“私房钱”来源的。
The Queen's private income is called the Privy Purse – comes from the Ducky of Lancaster.
女王的私人收入主要来自兰卡斯特公爵领地。
It is both for The Queen’s public and personal use. The Duchy of Lancaster is a portfolio of land and other assets that's been in the royal family for hundreds of years. It includes 18,433 hectares of land and is made up of residential, commercial, and agricultural properties.
兰卡斯特公爵领地供女王办公和私人使用，几百年来都是英国君主的私产，目前大约有18433公顷的土地, 包括住宅，商用以及农业项目。
From 2015 to 2016, it generated £17.8 million (about $21.7 million). This sum covers part of the Sovereign Grant.
2015年到2016年 ，女王的公爵领地净赚1780万英镑，给“君王拨款”也补充了一部分资金。
巴尔莫洛行宫
桑德林厄姆庄园
女王还有另外一部分的私人收入来自于她本人继承的财产，包括巴尔莫洛行宫 (Balmoral Castle) 和桑德林厄姆庄园 (Sandringham House)。
女王一家人在巴尔莫洛行宫前的合影
不过，据《星期日泰晤士报》报道称，女王的个人财产约为3.4亿英镑（约合4.9亿美元），与全球前几大富豪的身家相去甚远。女王2015年甚至首度跌出全英国前300大富豪的排行榜。所以女王其实并不像许多人想像中那么富有。
而如今的王室，对英国来说，是英国文化的象征。英国王室存在了近一千年，代表了一种从古代延续至今的制度与文化。女王被视为是民族利益和民族精神的代表，更是维护国家统一和民族团结的中心力量。英国女王虽然没有实权，但在英国人心中依然是至高权力的象征。
好了，今儿就聊到这了，且愿女王和亲王身体健康，万福金安。
God Save the Queen！
