The Queen《女王》（三）

Elizabeth: Charles and I had a talk in the car today. He was good enough to share with me his thoughts on motherhood.

Philip: What did he say?

Elizabeth: How wonderful Diana was.

Philip: That's changing his tune.

Elizabeth: He thought her natural.

Diana: They see me as a threat of some kind.

Philip: Oh, for God's sake!

Elizabeth: Maybe he's got a point. Maybe we are partly to blame.

Philip: Oh, I can't watch this.

Elizabeth: No, no. Wait. Please, no, leave it.

Diana: I don't go by a rulebook. Because I lead from the heart, not the head, and it's got me into trouble in my work.

Elizabeth: We encouraged the match. We signed off on it, both of us. You were very enthusiastic, remember?

Philip: She was a nice girl. Then. And I was sure he'd give the other one up, or at least make sure his wife toed the line. Isn't that what everyone does?

Elizabeth: Is it?

Man: Was Mrs Parker Bowles a factor in the breakdown of your marriage?

Diana: There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.

Philip: I can't bear it any more. If you're watching, I'll sleep next door. Early start tomorrow.

Elizabeth: Any luck with your stag?

Philip: No. But close, a couple of hundred yards at one point. One of the boys even got a shot off. We'll get him tomorrow. See you in the morning. Not to worry. Night-night.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Change one's tune

这个片语也写作sing another / a different tune，意为"改变态度，改变调子，改变立场"，例如：When she realized she was talking to the bank president, she quickly changed her tune.

2. Rulebook

A rulebook is a book containing a list of rules for a game，就是汉语中所说的"规则手册"。Diana 这里的意思是"她不是一个按规矩行事的人"，因英国王室有很多的礼仪和规矩，而 Diana 打破了很多。

3. Sign off

在这个片段中，sign off 的意思是"正式同意，结论性地表示同意"，例如：The President got the majority leader to sign off on the tax proposal.

此外，sign off 还表示"沉默，停止谈话"，例如：Every time the subject of marriage came up, Harold signed off.

4. Toe the line

这个片语也写作 toe the mark，意思是"听从命令，听话，尽责"，例如：The new director will make us toe the line, I'm sure.

这个片语来自于赛跑时，选手们各就各位，将脚趾放在起跑线上，直到发令枪响才可以移动，本意是"准备起跑"。

5. Night-night

意思就是good night。小孩子也喜欢说这个词，意思是go to bed or to sleep。可见 Prince Philip和女王的恩爱。