the royal family
/ðə ˌrɔɪəl ˈfæməli/
/ðə ˌrɔɪəl ˈfæməli/
- (in Britain) the term used to refer to the present King (Charles III) and his family: his wife, Camilla the Queen Consort, his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry (the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex), together with their wives and children, and also the King's sister and brothers and their children and grandchildren
该术语用于指现任国王（查尔斯三世）及其家人：他的妻子卡米拉王后、他的儿子威廉王子和哈里王子（威尔士亲王和苏塞克斯公爵）以及他们的妻子和孩子们，还有国王的姐妹和兄弟以及他们的孩子和孙子 CultureThe present royal house (= ruling family) is the House of Windsor and Charles III 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 king is still head of state and Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, he acts on the advice of his ministers and Britain is in practice governed by His Majesty's Government.The king has some official duties, such as opening a new session of Parliament and giving royal assent to new laws, but his main role is as a representative of Britain and the British people. He 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.