“邦女郎”女王

Escorted by James Bond， played by actor Daniel Craig， in a helicopter gliding over a cheering London， the 86-year-old queen was shown apparently leaping out with a Union Jack parachute for an Olympic arrival to trump all others.

The debut film role for the second-longest-serving monarch in British history marks the pinnacle of years of subtle change that has opened up the once painfully solemn royal family since the 1997 death of Princess Diana.

“There was a lightness of touch about what the queen did at the Olympics—it was absolutely right，” said Simon Lewis， the queen’s Communications Secretary.“It was perfectly judged and completely fitting for the occasion，” Lewis said. “The monarchy in 2012 is the product of a great deal of careful thinking over a long time and some quite sensible， small steps along the way.”

Polls show the sovereign remains enormously popular among English， Scots， Welsh and Irish who turned out in their millions in June for a Diamond Jubilee party that celebrated 60 years of service spanning a dozen premiers from Winston Churchill to David Cameron.

Dignified and serene， and now with just a glint of mischievous humor， it is the queen herself who has directed the makeover for a Britain grappling with long-term decline and the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

“The queen was the star of the show. She was bloody wonderful，” said a Scottish soldier serving at the Olympics. “I think it shows the people another side to her. I think the people love her but since the Jubilee and after this a lot of people see just what a wonderful queen she is.”

The queen’s playful Olympic opening shows just how far the rebranding of Britain’s royal family has progressed.

For a great-grandmother born in 1926， to star alongside Ian Fleming’s gambling fictional spy would have been unthinkable when her father， George VI， opened the last London Games in 1948.

Greeted with cheers and standing applause from 60，000 people， and then a sign-language rendition of “God Save the Queen” by children， the queen showed little emotion after what has surely been her most successful moment.

“The routine， in which‘Her Maj’ parachuted into the stadium from a chopper， was a tribute to the great British sense of humor， and that of our monarch，” the Sun newspaper said in an editorial. “Good on you， Ma’am.”

The jump was performed by a stunt double.

While Elizabeth’s rebranding spiced up the once stodgy image of the royal family， her work accords with a longer tradition of reinventing the monarchy spanning thousands of years.

From Alfred the Great， who saw off a Viking attempt at conquest in the 9th century， to Victoria， the only British monarch to reign longer than Elizabeth， monarchs in the British Isles have sought to adapt their image to the mood of the times.

In her 63-year reign， Victoria helped to redefine the monarchy， popularizing walkabouts and jubilees.

Victoria even took the title of “Empress of India”， a nod to the vast possessions of one of the world’s largest ever empires. If Victoria could play on imperial pride， Elizabeth has had to cope with a much more complicated decline in British power.

The central theme of the strategy has been to undermine the criticism that the monarchies are a stuffy relic of the past by linking them with popular British culture and casting stunts that accentuate the playful side of the royal character.

The queen’s “Bond-girl” acting role can be traced to Elizabeth’s little-known teenage penchant fortheatricals at Windsor Castle， when she used to play the principal boy.

The queen makes the final call on major decisions but on presentation she is aided by a fluid inner circle of senior royals， courtiers and public relations advisers.

The senior royals include Philip， Charles， William and his brother Harry， and her granddaughter Zara Phillips. Key advisers include the likes of her personal private secretary， Christopher Geidt.

The inclusion of a younger generation of royals has helped. But the queen is flexible enough to take outside advice on stunts.

在由英国演员丹尼尔·克雷格扮演的特工007的护送下，86岁高龄的英国女王伊丽莎白二世乘坐一架直升机滑翔在伦敦上空，地面上的人们欢呼雀跃。她背着带有英国国旗图案的降落伞从飞机上纵身一跃，以令所有人惊艳的方式驾临2012年伦敦奥运会开幕式。

这位英国历史上在位时间第二长的君主在电影中的首次演出表明，自戴安娜王妃1997年遭遇车祸离世以来，这个曾经极其严肃的王室已经悄悄地发生了改变，并且取得了极大的成功。

“女王在奥运会开幕式上的表演有一种轻松的感觉。这绝对是正确的。”女王的联络秘书西蒙·路易斯说。“女王的表演得到了完美的评价，并且完全契合当时的开幕式。”路易斯说，“长期的深思熟虑和在前进道路上的理智与谨慎，这才有了今时今日的英国。”

民意测验显示，女王在英伦三岛仍广受拥戴。数以百万的英国民众在2012年6月参加了女王登基60周年庆典。从温斯顿·丘吉尔到戴维德·卡梅伦，女王在位期间总共有12任首相。

庄重而安详的女王，此刻闪现出顽皮的幽默。正是女王本人为英国导演了这场王室形象的改变。而此时的英国正努力走出长期衰退和自大萧条时期以来最严重的经济危机。

“女王是开幕式上的耀眼明星。她真是太令人称赞了。”一个在奥运会服务的苏格兰士兵说，“我想人们看到了她的另一面。我认为人们爱戴她，但是自从60周年庆典和这场开幕式之后，许多人认识到她是多么杰出的一位女王。”

女王在奥运会开幕式上的逗趣表演，展现了英国王室重塑形象的计划进展到怎样的程度。

在她的父亲乔治六世于1948年宣布上一次伦敦奥运会开幕时，让一位在1926年出生的曾祖母与伊恩·弗莱明创造的敢于冒险的间谍联袂表演，这是不可思议的。

现场6万名观众为女王欢呼，并起立鼓掌，一群孩童用手语表演了英国国歌《天佑女王》。在无疑是女王最受瞩目的时刻，她却显得面无表情。

“在这个环节中，女王陛下从一架直升机上跳伞降落到体育场，充分显示了伟大的英式幽默感，以及女王本人的幽默感。”英国《太阳报》在一篇社论中说，“陛下，您真行！”

当然，这次跳伞是由一名特技替身演员完成的。

伊丽莎白二世的表演改变了曾经古板的王室形象，而她的职责与更悠久的改变数千年来的君主制形象的传统也是一致的。

从在9世纪击败入侵的北欧海盗的阿尔弗雷德大帝，到唯一一位在位时间比伊丽莎白二世还长的维多利亚女王，英国的历代国王都在设法让他们的形象适应时代的氛围。

在她63年的统治之中，维多利亚女王帮助英国重新定义君主制。她还推广了出巡与周年庆典。

维多利亚女王甚至被尊为“印度女皇”，这表示世界上曾经最庞大的帝国之一拥有了这片广袤的属地。如果维多利亚女王可以利用帝国的骄傲，那么伊丽莎白二世就不得不应付英国国力衰退这一更加复杂的局面。

策略的核心主题，就是通过融合英国流行文化，以及选派特技演员突出女王有趣的一面，来弱化关于君主制是因循守旧的遗俗的批评声。

女王出演“邦女郎”这一角色，可以追溯到她少年时代鲜为人知的嗜好，那时她在温莎城堡参加业余戏剧演出，常常自己扮演男主角。

女王对重要决定作出最后的定夺，但是在演出时，她得到了核心王室成员、政府官员和公共关系顾问这些贴近她的人的帮助。这些人也会有所变动。

核心王室成员包括她的丈夫菲利普、儿子查尔斯、孙子威廉和哈里，以及她的孙女扎拉·菲利普斯。主要的顾问包括她的私人秘书克里斯托弗·盖德特这类人。

年轻一代的王室成员也包括其中，这一点促成了女王的表演。女王相当灵活变通，采纳了非王室成员关于聘用特技演员的建议。