一个国王的爱情故事英文版

简介

你想当国王、想拥有荣华富贵、名闻天下吗？你希望无论走到哪里都成为众人的中心吗？你希望自己每时每刻、每一天都是人们关注的对象吗？

国王永远不会独自一人。每时每刻总有人注视着他——有时是他的保镖，有时是街上成千的民众。他永远不会独自一人；每个人都认识他的面孔。他做事必须检点，因为他的所做所为是无法保密的。

国王今天说了什么，明天全世界的人都会知道。他说话得谨慎；因为总有人在听。

这可不像一般的工作那样，5点钟就可以下班。国王没有假期。国王永远是国王——每时每刻都是国王。

国王永远不会独自一人，但他总是感到孤独。谁会是国王的朋友呢？谁会与他共同分担那份孤独呢？

作者彼德·戴恩蒂从事英语教学多年，目前在伦敦工作。

家族世系图

The Duke and Duchess of Windsor

1894 Edward is born in Richmond，England．

1896 Wallis is born in Baltimore，USA．

1911 Edward becomes Prince of Wales．

1912 Edward enters Oxford University．

1914 The First World War begins．Edward sees fighing on the front

line in Belgium．

1916 Wallis marries Winfield Spencer．

1920 Edward begins a five-year journey round the world．He visits 45 countries and travels 240 000 kilometres．

1927 Wallis divorces Winfield Spencer．

1928 Wallis marries Ernest Simpson．

1930 Edward meets Wallis at a weekend house party．

1936 January King George V dies．Edward is now King．

June Edward tells his mother that he wants to marry Wallis．

December Edward gives the crown to his brother and leaves Eng－land．

1937 Edward and Wallis marry in France．They take the name Duke and Duchess of Windsor．None of the Royal Family come to the wedding．For the next thirty years the Duke and Duchess live out－side England．

1966 Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ meets the Duke and Duchess at a small party in London．'It's time to forget the past，'she says．

1972 Edward dies in Paris．His body is buried in England at Windsor Castle．

1986 Wallis dies in Paris and is buried next to Edward at Windsor．

IN APRIL 1987，THREE HUNDRED PEOPLE CAME TO A SMALL room in Geneva，Switzerland．There were Presidents and Kings，film stars and millionaires．They came from the four corners of the world，east and west，north and south，and they spoke many languages．

But they all wanted one thing—to buy some jewellery．It was the jewellery that a man called Edward gave a woman called Wallis．One woman，Mrs Namiki from Japan，paid ＄105 000 for a gold ring．

'Why did you pay all that money？'a friend asked．'You can buy a gold ring in Tokyo for half that money．'

'Because Wallis and Edward were special to me，'Mrs Namiki replied．'I never met them but I'll keep that ring all my life．' In the next few hours，in that small room in Geneva，the jew－ellery was sold for＄50000000．But who was Wallis？And who was Edward？And why was their love story so special？

Let's begin at the beginning…

1 A Lonely Child

Prince Edward was born in 1894．His father，King George V，was a tall，cold man who did not like chil－dren．'Why does Edward talk all the time？'he once said．'He's a very noisy child！'

His mother，Queen Mary，agreed．'It doesn't matter if Edward is happy or unhappy，' she said．'A child must be silent and strong．' The family lived in Buckingham Palace，which had 600 rooms．There were 8 kitchens，19 bathrooms，24 toilets，11 dining rooms，17 bedrooms and 21 sitting rooms．

Edward once told a story about the house ：Buckingham Palace was very big，and people sometimes got lost．One night my mother，my father and I were sitting in the dining room．We were waiting for our dinner．We wait－ed and waited，but the food did not come．After twenty minutes my father was very angry．He stood up and went to the kitchen．'Where is the cook？'he shouted，and where is my food？' 'But，Sir，' the cook replied，'your dinner left the kitchen fifteen minutes ago．Hasn't it arrived yet？'

'No，it hasn't，'my father shouted，'and I'm hungry．'

The King left the kitchen and began to look for the food．Ten minutes later he saw a woman who was carrying three plates of meat and potatoes．'What happened to you？'my father said．'Why didn't you bring us our dinner？'

'I' m sorry，Sir，'the woman replied．'There are a lot of dining rooms．I couldn't remember where to go．But if you return to the table，Sir，this time I can follow you to the right room．'

Edward did not go to school with other children．He stayed in Buckingham Palace where he had a special classroom just for him．This is how Edward described his lessons：

My teacher，Mr Hansell，was a thin man．He never smiled and his nose was very red．We had lots of books but they were all very boring．They were full of words and they didn't have any pictures．Sometimes I stopped reading and looked out dow．Mr Hansell got very angry．He took a stick and hit me on the arm．'Don't look out of the window，little boy，' he shouted．'Look at the book．'He hit me many times and my arm was red．

Every Friday the teacher took me to my father's room．

'And what has my son learnt this week，Mr Hansell？'the King asked．

And the answer was always：'Not very much I'm afraid，Sir．Edward doesn't like his lessons．He never lis－tens to what I say．'

When Mr Hansell left the room，my father was angry with me．'What's wrong with you，child？'he said．'Are you stupid？Why can't you learn anything？'

'But the lessons are so boring，Sir，'I replied．'And Mr Hansell hits me．'

'I don't understand you，Edward．You're a baby．You're so weak．You'll never be a good King．A King must be strong．Go to your room and stay there until the morning．'

'I spent many days alone in my room，'Edward wrote later．'I never played with other children and I didn't have any friends．I lived in the most beautiful house in England but I was always lonely and sad．I saw my mother once a day at din－ner time and I saw my father three or four times a week，but they never gave me any love．I was afraid of them and every－thing I did was wrong．'

2 The Prince of Wales

In the spring of 1911 King George called Edward into his room and said：

'Next month I'll make you Prince of Wales and these are your clothes for the ceremony．'

The King opened a small cupboard and Edward started to cry．'But father，'he said，'I'm sixteen years old now．I can't wear soft shoes and a skirt．I'll look like a girl．Why can't I dress like other people？' 'Because you're different and special，'his father replied，'and one day you'll be King．'

Edward cried for the next two days，but there was noth-ing he could do．

And so，on 10th June 1911，the family drove to Caernar－von Castle in North Wales and the ceremony began．

The King put a small gold crown on Edward's head．There was music and dancing and the crowd began to shout．

The new Prince of Wales closed his eyes．'I feel terrible，' he said．'Can we go home now？'

'Not yet，' the King replied．'The people want to see you．

Edward walked to the front of the castle and looked down at the crowd．He was shaking and his face was red．

'Smile，Edward，'the King said．'You are happy！'

A few hours later the family were driving back to Windsor．'Wasn't that a lovely day！'Queen Mary said．

Edward took off his shoes and looked out of the window．'Never again，'he thought．'Never again！'

3 The Royal Star

After a year at Oxford University，Edward went to fight in the First World War．He wrote：

I lived in a house with twenty-five other soldiers．At night we talked about our lives and our families．It was very inter－esting．

I could speak freely to different people-rich and poor，young and old．But I also saw the blood and noise of war．

One day in 1916 my driver took me to the town of Loos in Belgium．I got out of the car and walked to the top of the hill．Down below me there was heavy fighting and I felt very sad．

An hour later I returned to my car．I'll never forget what I saw．My driver was dead．While I was away，some－body shot him in the neck．

When the war finished in 1918，Edward returned to Bucking－ham Palace．One night he was talking to his father in the din－ing room．'I don't understand why countries fight，'the Prince said．'The war has finished，but nothing has changed．There are still millions of poor and hungry people．It's not right．Somebody must do something！' 'Well，'King George replied，'you can't change the world if you sit by the fire．You must travel．Meet people．Talk to them．Listen to what they say．And then，when you are King，you can make the world a better place．'

And so，in 1920，Edward left England again．During the next five years he travelled 240 000 kilometres and visited 45 different countries．He saw India，Argentina，Nigeria，Mexico，New Zealand，Germany，and Japan．When he came to Toronto，in Canada，there were 500 000 people in the streets to meet him．Everywhere thousands of people waited to see him—there were crowds of 190 000 in Cape Town，300 000 in Paris，500 000 in New York，and 750 000 in Melbourne．'Edward is the first royal star，'one newspaper wrote，'and he is now the most famous man in the world．In the old days princes were cold and

bored．But Edward is different．He gets out of his car and walks down the street．Every two or three minutes he stops and speaks with the crowd．He laughs．He smiles．He shakes a thousand hands．He is a man of the people with a heart of gold．'

4 The Meeting

In the autumn of 1930 Edward went to stay with his friends Lord and Lady Furness．This is how he described that weekend in a book called A King's Story：

On Saturday the weather was cold and windy．It was raining heavily so we could not ride our horses．We decided to stay in the house and have an early lunch with some of Lady Furness' friends．

At one o'clock Wallis arrived with her husband．She was beautifully dressed and she smiled all the time．She spoke with Lord Furness for a few minutes，and then Lady Fur－ness brought her over to see me．

'Sir，I would like you to meet one of my dearest and sweetest American friends，Mrs Wallis Simpson．'

'How do you do，Mrs Simpson，'I said．'Please come and sit down．' Lady Furness left us and we began to talk．

I could see that Wallis was not felling very well．She had a bad cold and her eyes were red．'I'm afraid that our English houses aren't very warm，'I said．'We don't have American central heating here．' There was a long silence．Mrs Simpson turned her face and looked out of the window．Then she said：'You have disappointed me，Sir．' 'And why is that？'I asked．

'Because everybody asks me about American central heat－ing．I thought that the Prince of Wales would talk about something more interesting．'

I began to laugh．

'What's the matter，Sir？'Wallis asked．'Have I said something wrong？'

'No，'I replied．'I'm laughing because you didn't lie to me．You told me the truth．'

'But why is that funny？Doesn't everybody do that？'

'One day I'll be King of England，' I replied．'And people are afraid

of me．If I say that the sky is yellow，they say，“Yes，Sir，you are right”．If I say that Wednesday is the first day of the week，they say，“Yes，Sir，you are right”．And if I say that Scotland is bigger than Canada，they say，“Yes，Sir，you are right”．But you told me that I was boring！You told me the truth．I like that！'

There was another silence and then Wallis began to laugh．'Can I say one more thing，Sir？'

'Yes，Mrs Simpson，what is it？'

'It's your trousers，Sir．'

'My trousers？'

'Yes，Sir．They are black and your shoes are brown．'These two colours don't look right together．'

I stood up and looked in the mirror．'Yes，Mrs Simp－son，you're right．I look very strange．The next time we meet，I will be better dressed．'

When lunch was ready，we walked through into the dining room．I sat at one end of the table and Wallis sat at the other end．I was watching her very carefully．I thought how beautiful her hands were．She began talking to Lady Furness and then，a few minutes later，she turned and smiled at me．I felt very happy．

After lunch Wallis came over to say goodbye．'My hus－band and I

have to leave now，Sir．We're going to another party in London．'

I wanted to speak to her but I could not find the right words．I don't know why．We shook hands and Wallis walked away．

I went into the next room and sat down near Lady Fur－ness．'Tell me about Mrs Simpson，'I said．

'What would you like to know？'she asked．

'Everything！' I said．

'Then perhaps，Sir，you would like to walk in the gar－den．We can talk more freely there．'

We stood up and left the house by the back door．We walked slowly through the trees，and Lady Furness told me about Wallis…

5 Wallis

This is how Lady Furness described Mrs Simpson's early life to Edward：

Wallis was born in Baltimore．She never knew her father．He died when she was five months old．But her mother was a strong and loving

woman，and Wallis was a happy child．

When she was twenty，she married a man called Win－field Spencer．For the first few years they were happy togeth－er．But one day Winfield lost some money in the street．He was very angry．When he came home，he took a bottle of whisky from a cupbodrd and began to drink．

That night he hit Wallis in the mouth．She screamed and he hit her again．There was blood on her face and she was shaking like a leaf．' Please，Winfield，'she said．'No more．

But Winfield took her arm and pulled her up the stairs．'You're my prisoner，'he shouted at her，'and you're not going to leave．'Then he pushed her into the bathroom and locked the door．

The next morning Wallis went back to her family．'I can't stay with him，'she said．'I want a divorce．'

'Poor Wallis，'Edward said．'But what happened next，Lady Furness？'

'Well，'said Lady Furness，'a few months later she met a fine man called Ernest Simpson．He's quiet，but interesting．They got married and they now live in a beautiful flat in the centre of London．' 'And are they happy？'asked Edward．

Lady Furness looked at the Prince and smiled．'I don't know，Sir，'she said．'I don' t know．'

During the next two years the Prince saw Wallis once or twice a week．They had the same friends，and they often met at parties．'Mrs Simpson knew a lot about life，'Edward once said．'She loved books，food，people，and travel．She was very beautiful and her eyes were full of fire．She was friendly and easy to talk to and，after a while，I opened up my heart．We had no secrets．I told her everything．And that's how it all began．'

'His eyes were always sad，'Wallis said about Edward．'And sometimes he looked like a child— so young，so quiet，so weak．He had no real friends．Perhaps people were a little afraid of him．But he was a warm and kind man．When he talked to me，I felt my heart jump．I wanted to be alone with him，but I knew that wasn't possible．Did the Prince love me in those early days？No，I don't think so．But each time we met，we just felt closer and closer．'

In June 1933 Edward gave a birthday party for Wallis，and during the next few months he visited the Simpson's flat in London almost every day．

One evening，the Prince asked Wallis and Ernest to go skiing in

Austria．'I'm sorry，Sir，'Mr Simpson replied．'I have to go to America on business．But perhaps Wallis and her aunt can come with you．' 'We went to Kitzbühl as friends，'Wallis wrote later，'but when we came home，we were in love．And a few months later the Prince asked me to marry him．It was just like a dream！'

6 The King is Dead！Long Live the King！

In January 1936 Edward went to Windsor for a few weeks．He was tired of town life and he wanted to work in his garden and ride his horses．

But then，one afternoon，there was a phone call from Queen Mary．'Edward，'she said，'you must come back im-mediately．Your father is very ill and I think he's going to die．'

When Edward arrived，he went straight to his father's room．He walked to the side of the bed and kissed his father's white face．The King opened his eyes and smiled．Then he took his son's hand and said：'Be a good King，Edward．And be good to your mother．'

'Yes，father，I will．'

The King closed his eyes and did not speak again．Just af－ter midnight he died．

Then Queen Mary took Edward's hand and kissed it．'My child，you are now King，'she said softly．'God be with you．

His three brothers came to him，one by one，and they each kissed his hand．'The King is dead．Long live the King，'they said．At one o'clock Edward left the room to telephone Wallis．“My father is dead，'he said．

'I'm so sorry，Sir．'

'I must stay here for a while，'Edward went on．'But I'll phone you at the weekend．Nothing will change between you and me．I love you more than ever，and you will be my Queen．'

'Let's not talk about that now，'Wallis replied．'You must go back to your family．'

'But you are my family，Wallis．You are everything to me．Goodnight．Sleep well．'

When Wallis put the phone down that night，she sudden-ly felt afraid．'Edward is now King，'she thought，'but what will happen to me？'

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