The new king of the Netherlands was set to ascend to the throne Tuesday in a ceremony that throws into sharp relief the costs of maintaining Europe's royal families at a time of economic austerity.

荷兰的新国王已于4月30日举行了加冕典礼，在经济紧缩的大环境下，这场盛事将欧洲皇室的维持成本问题又推到了风口浪尖。

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander will be invested as his country's first king since the late 19th century in what his abdicating mother, Queen Beatrix, has insisted be a sober ceremony in Amsterdam that befits straitened times.

威廉•亚历山大国王(King Willem-Alexander)是19世纪末以来荷兰的首位男性君主，亚历山大的母亲、宣布退位的贝娅特女王(Queen Beatrix)坚持，考虑到经济萎靡不振，应该把在阿姆斯特丹举行的这场典礼办得朴素低调。

The events aren't expected to be marked by the fierce protests from squatters岸some shouting 'no home, no coronation'岸that overshadowed Beatrix's inauguration in 1980, also a time of economic crisis.

这场盛事没有遭遇来自抗议民众的激烈反对，不过1980年为贝娅特女王举行的加冕典礼就被民众的抗议之声蒙上了一层阴影。那也是一个处于经济危机之中的年代，当时有些人高喊起了“没有家，就没有加冕礼”的口号。

The Dutch royal family still enjoys widespread support, according to the annual survey commissioned by the public broadcasting service NOS. It shows 78% of the Dutch population support the monarchy, although 44% back a cut in the annual benefits received by the royal family.

荷兰公共广播公司(NOS)进行的年度调查显示，荷兰皇室仍拥有广泛的民众支持。调查结果表明，78%的荷兰民众支持君主政体，不过44%的民众希望皇室能削减年俸。

While other royal houses in Europe have reduced expenses, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has indicated that the payment to the Dutch monarchy won't be cut, though it costs taxpayers close to 40 million ($52 million) annually.

虽然其他欧洲皇室已经削减了支出，但荷兰首相马克•吕特(Mark Rutte)已明确表示，不会削减支付给荷兰皇室的薪俸。目前，荷兰皇室每年需要花费纳税人近4,000万欧元（约合5,200万美元）。

'The Netherlands are now, next to the Scandinavian countries, the only country where the royal family does not have to compromise' on expenses, said Herman Matthijs, a professor at the University of Ghent who has studied the budget costs of Europe's royal families.

比利时根特大学(University of Ghent)教授赫尔曼•马泰伊斯(Herman Matthijs)表示：“除了斯堪的纳维亚国家以外，目前荷兰是唯一的、皇室无需在开销上做出让步的国家。”马泰伊斯教授一直在研究欧洲皇室的预算成本。

A study released this month by Mr. Matthijs shows the Spanish and British royal families have reduced expenditures from 2009-13. By contrast, the total cost of salaries and material expenses for the Dutch monarchy increased 4.5%, according to Mr. Matthijs' calculations.

马泰伊斯上个月发表的一项研究显示，在2009年至2013年期间，西班牙和英国皇室一直在不断地削减开支。相比之下，依据马泰伊斯的计算，为荷兰皇室支付的包括薪酬和实质开销在内的总成本却增加了4.5%。

'We will see if Willem-Alexander must also make concessions on payments next year,' Mr. Matthijs said.

马泰伊斯说：“对于威廉•亚历山大明年是否也必须在开支方面做出让步，我们将拭目以待。”

The debate over royal spending has been muted in Scandinavia because Norway, Sweden and Denmark are among the European countries least affected by austerity. Sweden this summer will stage its second royal wedding in three years. In Denmark, chain-smoking Margrethe II is immensely popular, enjoying a 77% favorable rating among her subjects, according to a recent Megafon/Politiken/TV2 poll.

由于挪威、瑞典和丹麦是受到财政紧缩影响最小的欧洲国家，因此在斯堪的纳维亚国家，皇室支出向来都没有引发过太大的争议。今年夏天，瑞典将举办三年内的第二场皇室婚礼。在丹麦，烟不离口的玛格丽特二世(Margrethe II)极受民众爱戴。丹麦Megafon研究所、《政治报》(Politiken)以及电视二台(TV2)近期联合举行的民调显示，玛格丽特二世在丹麦民众中的支持率高达77%。

In Spain, the Royal House said its 2011 budget, the first it disclosed publicly, was 5.2% lower than the budget for 2010, a reflection of austerity policies implemented amid Spain's deepest recession in decades. The budget was cut again in 2012 and 2013.

西班牙皇室此前宣布，其2011年的年度预算较2010年下降了5.2%。这是西班牙皇室首次对外披露预算信息。在西班牙陷入最近几十年来最严峻的经济衰退之际，皇室预算的下调反映了举国上下执行的紧缩政策。此外，西班牙皇室还削减了其2012年和2013年的年度预算。

But the relatively modest payments exclude funds the king draws for various expenses. King Juan Carlos I and other royals pay income tax and other taxes, but don't own their palaces and, like some other European monarchies, don't have to pay for transportation and security.

但是上述相对低额的预算却并不包括国王的其他多项开销。西班牙国王胡安•卡洛斯一世(King Juan Carlos I)和其他皇室成员的确缴纳所得税和其他税项，但是他们并不是皇宫的所有者，另外，和其他欧洲皇室一样，他们也无需支付交通和安保费用。

Despite the British royal family's popularity, many people would like to reduce the amount of money the royals receive. According to pollsters Ipsos Mori, 52% of British citizens polled last year say the royal family shouldn't receive as much money as it does. Still, a decade earlier some 76% said the royals should receive less.

尽管英国皇室受到民众爱戴，但是许多人都希望削减皇室所获得的薪俸金额。民意调查机构伊普索斯莫里(Ipsos Mori)的调查结果显示，去年，52%的受访英国公民认为，皇室不应当获得目前如此高额的薪俸。不过，十年前，持此观点的受访者高达76%左右。

King Albert II in Belgium has benefited from a law岸criticized by the central bank岸that indexes salaries to inflation. His allowance is agreed at the start of his reign and can't be altered, save for inflation, to ensure the king's independence from Parliament.

比利时国王阿尔贝二世(King Albert II)的收入受到了该国一项法规的保护，即皇室薪酬将依据通货膨胀率进行调整。但是，这项法规受到了比利时央行的诟病。早在阿尔贝二世登上王位之时，其薪俸金额就通过协议确定了下来，为保证国王独立于议会，在依据通货膨胀率对国王薪俸进行调整的同时，其基数不得改变。

He started in 1994 with 6 million a year to fund his role as head of state and this has grown to about 11 million. In keeping with the general mood of austerity, the king agreed to spend the latest increase (around 300,000) on renovation and upkeep of the royal palaces. In addition, there are allowances for other members of the royal family.

阿尔贝二世履行国鲜花首的年俸已经从1994年初登王位时的600万欧元增至目前的约1,100万欧元。为了顺应紧缩的大趋势，阿尔贝二世同意将今年应增加的年俸（约30万欧元）用于皇宫的整修和维护。此外，比利时的其他皇室成员还有各自的年俸。

But the figures don't include spending on various castles and palaces, which are maintained by the state, or official air travel, which comes out of the defense ministry's budget.

但是，上述数据并未包括在众多城堡和宫殿上的花费，这些城堡和宫殿是由政府负责维护的，数据也没有包括皇室的公务航空旅行开销，这笔费用是由国防部负担的。

Though expenses are being scrutinized, the popularity of monarchies seems to depend on other issues, including the behavior of members of the royal family.

尽管皇室支出正在受到严格的审视，但是皇室的受欢迎程度似乎取决于其他因素，其中包括皇室成员的行为举止。

The Belgian king has a much more political role than many of his European peers, while new Dutch legislation has minimized the role of the Dutch monarch in forming a government.

现任比利时国王承担的政治职责比很多欧洲君主都要多，而新的荷兰法律已经弱化了荷兰皇室在组建政府中的角色。

However, the Belgian monarch's role is disputed. The N-VA, by far the most popular party in Flanders, ultimately wants a separate Flemish republic and sees him as partisan to the French-speaking Walloons.

然而，现任比利时国王获得的评价褒贬不一。截至目前在比利时弗拉芒地区呼声最高的新弗拉芒联盟党(N-VA)希望最终建立一个独立的弗拉芒共和国，这个政党认为阿尔贝二世偏袒讲法语的瓦隆人。

Controversy also flared up recently after Belgium's dowager Queen Fabiola, the widow of Albert's brother, Baudouin, was accused of setting up a foundation to avoid the country's high inheritance taxes.

此外，比利时已故国王博杜安(Baudouin)的遗孀法比奥拉皇后(Queen Fabiola)近期的举动也引发了轩然大波。博杜安是阿尔贝二世的兄长。舆论谴责法比奥拉为避交本国高额的遗产税而成立了一只私人基金。

In Spain, the declining health of the 75-year-old monarch and recent financial scandals that have tainted the monarchy have intensified calls for him to abdicate in favor of Crown Prince Felipe, his 45-year-old son. Thousands of people demonstrated against the monarchy this month on the 82nd anniversary of the establishment of Spain's last republican government.

在西班牙，现年75岁的国王的健康状况不断恶化，加上近期有损皇室声誉的财务丑闻，要求西班牙国王退位并让位给其子、45岁的费利佩王储(Crown Prince Felipe)的呼声越来越强烈。在4月份举行的庆祝西班牙第二共和国成立82周年的庆典上，数千民众参与了反对君主政体的游行。

Republican governments aren't always cheaper, however. Mr. Matthijs's study shows the office of the French president spends more than 110 million annually, almost three times the declared cost of the British and Dutch royal families to their governments.

不过，共和政体可并不一定代表着更加节约。马泰伊斯的研究表明，法国总统办公室每年的花销超出1.1亿欧元，几乎是英国和荷兰皇室向政府公示开销的三倍。