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英语新闻：西班牙王后取消英国之行

时间：2012-05-18 07:10:13

（单词翻译:单击）

Queen Sofia of Spain has cancelled a visit to the UK to mark Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee1 because of disputes over Gibraltar.

因直布罗陀海峡争端，西班牙王后苏菲亚取消前往英国参加伊丽莎白女王钻石婚纪念。

A Spanish government statement said it was "hardly appropriate" for Queen Sofia, 73, to attend a lunch on Friday.

The UK and Spain have been in dispute over fishing rights off Gibraltar, a UK territory which Spain also claims.

Spain has also protested over a visit to Gibraltar by Queen Elizabeth's son Prince Edward and his wife Sophie.

The prince and the Countess of Wessex are to visit Gibraltar on 11-13 June as part of the celebrations to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen's reign2.

Complaint

Spain continues to claim sovereignty over Gibraltar, which has been ruled by Britain since 1713 under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht.

Queen Sofia's husband, King Juan Carlos, had already declined his invitation to the lunch at Windsor Castle on Friday.

He is recovering from surgery last month after he fell and broke his hip3 while hunting elephants in Botswana.

In 1981, the Spanish royal couple declined an invitation to Prince Charles' wedding to Diana, Princess of Wales because they planned to visit Gibraltar as part of their honeymoon4.

And a visit by Princess Anne to Gibraltar in 2009 sparked an official complaint from the Spanish government.

An additional cause of unhappiness for the Spanish royal household is the fact that the British regimental band of Gibraltar will be performing at the Diamond Jubilee, reports the Spanish news agency Efe.

A spokesman for the UK Foreign Office told the AFP news agency: "The visit was a private commitment and we don't comment on private visits."

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1 jubilee 9aLzJ     
n.周年纪念；欢乐
参考例句：
  • They had a big jubilee to celebrate the victory.他们举行盛大的周年纪念活动以祝贺胜利。
  • Every Jubilee,to take the opposite case,has served a function.反过来说，历次君主巡幸，都曾起到某种作用。
2 reign pBbzx     
n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势
参考例句：
  • The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
  • The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。
3 hip 1dOxX     
n.臀部，髋；屋脊
参考例句：
  • The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
  • The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。
4 honeymoon ucnxc     
n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月
参考例句：
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。