如今的英国王室，又称温莎王室，其实是一支有着逾千年历史之久的王族的后裔温莎王朝始于 1917 年，国王乔治五世的一纸宣言将英王室的正式名称定为温莎王室，摈弃了萨克森-科堡-哥达王室这一历史称呼现女王伊丽莎白二世是英国温莎王朝第四代君主The current British royal family, while referred to as the House of Windsor, is actually the latest part of a line of royal monarchs going back over a thousand years. The House of Windsor came into being in 1917, when the name was adopted as the British Royal Family's official name by a proclamation of King George V, replacing the historic name of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Queen Elizabeth II is the 4th monarch of the House of Windsor.在许多英国人的眼中，王室代表着稳定、延续、遗产与传统。
不过王室在过去 25 年中也在不断努力跟上现代化的步伐，避免成为不合时代的事物其重大举措包括：减少享受公家俸禄的成员数量，自愿缴纳所得税，摈弃皇家游艇，与平民通婚，使用社交媒体，废除王位继承顺序的男性优先权等In the eyes of many Brits, the royal family stands for stability, continuity, heritage and traditions. But the royal family has made strenuous efforts to modernize itself to avoid becoming an anachronism in the past 25 years or so. They have reduced the number of members on the public payroll, volunteered to pay income tax, dispensed with the royal yacht, married commoners, used social media, and abolished male precedence in the order of succession to the throne.[王室成员热心公益事业]当代王室成员的一项重要工作是支持和鼓励公益与志愿服务。
王室成员是约 3000 个组织的赞助人或负责人，其中女王赞助了 600 余个组织，爱丁堡公爵的赞助数量超过 700，威尔士亲王赞助或担任主席职务的慈善组织有 400 多家An important part of the work of the royal family is to support and encourage public and voluntary service. About 3,000 organizations list a member of the royal family as patron or president. The Queen has over 600 patronages and the Duke of Edinburgh over 700. The Prince of Wales is patron or president of over 400 charitable organizations.[英国王室的金字招牌]我们不是王室，我们是一家企业——乔治六世国王，《国王的演讲》"We're Not a Family, We're a Firm." –George VI, The King's Speech资产评估机构品牌金融称王室是英国最有价值的品牌之一，其运作方式像企业一样专业。
王室今年预计将为英国经济贡献 19 亿英镑，而王室的花销是 2.5 亿英镑Asset valuation agency Brand Finance said the monarchy was one of Britain's most valuable brands, run professionally like a firm and set to contribute an estimated ￡1.9b to the British economy this year while costing ￡250m.自古以来，英国的遗产和文化都与王室紧密相关，是吸引游客来英旅游的主要因素伦敦主要的景点都属于王室，有的还跻身最吸引外国游客的 10 大景点，如塔桥(第 2 位)、白金汉宫(第 4 位)、温莎城堡(第 7 位)和爱丁堡城堡(第 8 位)王室成员参与的各种典礼活动得到英联邦乃至世界的媒体关注，相当于为英国进行了价值数亿英镑的免费公关活动The heritage and culture of the UK is historically entwined with the monarchy and is a major incentive for tourists to visit the country. The main attractions in London belong to the monarchy. Among the Top 10 attractions for foreign tourists: the Tower Bridge (2nd place), Buckingham Palace (4th place), Windsor Castle (7th place), Edinburgh Castle (8th place). The various ceremonies and events attended by the royal family generate media attention from the Commonwealth and round the world, providing hundreds of millions of pounds worth of free publicity for the UK.每次英国经济出现衰退时，英国王室都通过举办大型皇家庆典活动，充当"救火队员"的角色。
当年戴安娜王妃的世纪婚礼轰动全球，同时也让英国赚得盆满钵溢；2011 年威廉王子和凯特王妃的大婚相当于给英国经济注入约 20 亿英镑；2012 年英国女王登基 60 周年庆典又给英国带来 5 亿英镑的创收；而"王室宝宝"的降生为经济带来的刺激也不容小觑，英国零售研究中心称，2013 年王室宝宝的诞生使英国相关产业 7-8 月的零售额增长 2.43 亿英镑By holding grand royal ceremonies, the royal family has been the salvation of the British economy when there is a recession. Called the "wedding of the century," the wedding of Diana to Charles received global attention and also generated a huge economic benefit for the country. The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011 provided an approximately ￡2b shot in the arm for Britain's economy while the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for the Queen Elizabeth II in 2012 brought ￡500m for the country. The Centre of Retail Research said that the royal baby's birth in 2013 boosted linked-in retail sales in the UK by ￡243m in July and August.[跌宕起伏的王室形象]上世纪末，以伊丽莎白女王二世为核心的现英国王室因冷对戴妃逝世，威望跌落谷底。
此后十几年来，王室通过种种变革逐步挽回形象，前年威廉王子大婚与去年女王登基 60 周年大大提升了王室威望，而王室宝宝的降生更是引发了新一轮王室热潮At the end of the 20th century, the popularity of the current royal family, headed by Queen Elizabeth II, fell to its lowest point after Diana's death for its coldness and remoteness. The royal family gradually rejuvenated its image by reforming itself in the last dozen years or so. The wedding of William and Kate in 2011 and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee last year pushed the support of the monarchy to new highs. The royal baby has triggered the next wave of enthusiasm for the monarchy.what role does the British royal family have today?Well, the Queen has important formal duties: as Head of State, the Queen represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK. As Head of the Armed Forces, only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when war was over. The Queen also has constitutional duties: She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day. In addition, the royal family spends a great deal of its time traveling up and down the country in support of different charity projects. But the public in Britain do not believe there should be a royal family. Sometimes, the press and media criticize the royal family as well. One criticism is that British peop。