As her heir, the Prince of Wales will be the first to know of his mother's passing. He will probably be at her deathbed, unless she dies suddenly or unexpectedly.

　　作为伊丽莎白二世的继承人，如果女王过世，威尔士王子应当是第一个得知女王死讯的人。除非女王意外死亡，他当时应当守在伊丽莎白二世的床前。

　　On his mother's death, Charles will be king immediately. His siblings and children will kiss his hands. Then constitutional government will kick in.

　　只要女王一死，查尔斯王子即刻将会成为国王。兄弟和子女将会亲吻他的双手，然后他就上位了。

　　The Prime Minister will need to be informed immediately of the passing of the head of state.

　　英国首相也会在第一时间得知女王去世的消息。

　　For a time, her subjects will not know she is dead and that the throne has passed to her eldest son. Governors general, ambassadors and prime ministers will learn first. But in the world of 24-hour news it will not stay secret for long.

　　女王的下属暂时还不会知道她已经过世，王位已经传给了她的大儿子。官员们，各国大使和总理都会先得知此讯。一天都待命的各大媒体也不会耽搁太久。

　　This increased responsibility means Charles is much more than a deputy, stepping up to stand in for the Queen. As we approach the end of 2018, a more accurate description of his role is ‘Shadow King’, as it is he, not Her Majesty, who is now doing most of the ‘heavy lifting’ for the monarchy at home and abroad.

　　随着查尔斯王子身上的任务越来越多，他已经不仅仅是女王的一个代表，而是正在逐渐取代女王的位置。随着2018年接近尾声，他的的角色越来越偏向于一个“影子国王”。确实如此，如今是查尔斯王子而非女王担负着国内外大部分的外交任务。

　　His increased workload sees the Prince regularly working 14-hour days and he carries out more than 600 engagements a year at home and abroad.

　　查尔斯通常要工作14个小时，一年有超过600场国内外会面。

　　Indeed, now that she does not travel overseas, Charles's royal tours representing her across the globe are state visits.

　　当然，如今女王已经不再出国旅行，查尔斯代表女王在世界各地“飞来飞去”,进行国事访问。

　　There are those who insist the Queen is still as sprightly, fit and sharp as she was two decades ago. This is not true. She is still sharp on matters of state, but requires her schedule to reflect her age and capacity. Even she thinks those loyal subjects who believe nothing needs to change are deluding themselves.

　　有人说，女王仍旧像20年之前精神矍铄，身体健康且头脑清楚。事实并非如此，虽然女王在处理上国事问题上依旧敏锐，但她年龄和能力已经限制了她的行程。