據外媒報導，英國女王伊莉莎白二世19日在出席大英國協政府首腦會議時宣布，這是她最後一次參加該會議，她同時希望兒子查爾斯王儲能成為下一任大英國協元首。20日，大英國協各國領導人在溫莎城堡集體決定，批准查爾斯王儲接任下一任大英國協元首。
Britain's Prince Charles speaks during the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the ballroom at Buckingham Palace in London reuters |
On Thursday, the Queen expressed her desire for Prince Charles to be appointed as the next Head of the Commonwealth.
19日，女王表達了她希望任命查爾斯王儲為下一任大英國協元首的意向。
「It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity to future generations, and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949,」 she said.
「我真誠地希望大英國協能繼續為後世帶來穩定和延續性，並且我希望有朝一日由威爾斯親王（查爾斯王儲）繼承我父親於1949年開啟的這項重要工作。」
伊莉莎白二世自1952年以來一直擔任大英國協元首，近年來，由於女王年事已高，人們都在談論繼承人的問題。因為大英國協元首並非世襲職務，意味著女王去世後這一職務並不能自動傳給查爾斯王儲。
A day later, CNN reported that the leaders of the Commonwealth have agreed to support the Queen’s wishes.
20日，美國有線新聞網報導稱，大英國協領導人同意支持女王的意願。
「We recognize the role of the Queen in championing the Commonwealth and its peoples. The next head of the Commonwealth shall be His Royal Highness Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales,」 the statement read.
聲明稱：「我們表彰女王為捍衛大英國協及其人民發揮的作用。大英國協的下一任元首將是威爾斯親王查爾斯王儲。」
大英國協現由53個主權國家組成，所有成員自願加入，成員大多為前英國殖民地或者保護國。傳統上，大英國協元首是英國君王擔任，這是一個象徵性的職位，沒有治理權，只在大英國協組織中擔任重要角色。
一些人猜測，查爾斯王儲接任大英國協元首，或意味著女王很快便將退位。
Bookmaker Coral said that there is 2-1 from 5-1 odds that Queen Elizabeth II will be abdicating the throne sometime this year.
博彩公司Coral稱，伊莉莎白二世將在今年之內退位的賠率從1賠5降到了1賠2。
「Following the news that Prince Charles is set to take over as the Head of the Commonwealth, we have seen a surge of bets on the Queen stepping down from the throne in 2018 where her odds have tumbled in the last 24 hours,」 John Hill of Coral told Express.
Coral公司的約翰•希爾對《英國快報》表示：「查爾斯王子將接任大英國協元首的消息一出，我們發現押女王將在今年退位的賭注猛增，過去24小時其賠率下跌。」
英國女王是全球在位時間最長的君主。4月21日，女王奶奶迎來了92周歲生日，英國王室在皇家阿爾伯特音樂廳為她舉行了祝壽音樂會。除待產的凱特王妃外，王室成員全部出席。
Britain's Prince Charles speaks during a special concert "The Queen's Birthday Party" in London reuters |
Some of the guests that performed at the party are Sting, Sir Tom Jones, Shawn Mendes, Kylie Minogue, and Craig David.
出席音樂會的表演嘉賓包括斯汀、湯姆•瓊斯、肖恩•蒙德斯、凱莉•米洛以及克雷格•大衛等人。
Performers are seen on stage during a special concert "The Queen's Birthday Party" in London reuters |
查爾斯王儲在音樂會尾聲上臺發表賀詞時，先是對女王說了一聲「女王陛下」（Your Majesty）後，突然又喊了一聲「媽咪」，這樣的親密稱呼令女王有些意外。她先是瞪大眼睛、抿著嘴唇，接著報以微笑。
Charles told his mother: 「I have a feeling that in 1948 when you were 22, you didn't somehow expect at your 92nd birthday to find your son in his 70th year - just able still to raise a small Hip, Hip.」
查爾斯對女王說：「1948年，22歲的您生下了我，那時您肯定想不到在您92歲生日時，70歲的兒子還能引來歡呼聲。」
查爾斯說完這些話，全場一片笑聲，而後又是熱烈的歡呼和掌聲。
註：Hip hip hooray是英語國家的人們為某人或某事慶祝時集體發出的歡呼聲。在女王生日會現場，查爾斯王儲帶領全場連喊了三次hip hip hooray。
哈裡王子也在舞臺上祝祖母生日快樂，他說：
「Tonight we are celebrating the Queen's Birthday but Your Majesty, if you do not mind me saying, you are not someone who is easy to buy gifts for.」
「今晚我們一同慶祝女王的生日，但是陛下恕我直言，給您送禮物還真是不好挑。」
Britain's Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrive for a special concert "The Queen's Birthday Party" in London reuters |
The Queen celebrates two birthdays every year: Her actual birthday on April 21, which she usually marks privately with her family, and her 'official birthday' in the summer. It usually falls on the second Saturday in June, when she joins the Trooping the Color military parade in central London.
女王每年慶祝兩次生日，她真正的生日是4月21日，這一天她通常和家人私下慶祝。女王的官方生日定在每年夏天，通常是6月的第二個星期六，當天她會參加在倫敦市中心舉辦的皇家軍隊閱兵。
英文來源：每日郵報，國際財經時報
編譯：董靜
審校：yaning