A US publisher is to produce a comic book about the romance of Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton, timed to mark their upcoming wedding. “Fame: The Royals” is described as a “behind-the-curtain look” at the royal couple, who are to wed in London's Westminster Abbey on April 29. “As Americans, we are fascinated by the British royals. They fit within our construct of a celebrity-fueled popular culture,”said Darren Davis, president of publisher Bluewater Productions.“But more than that, they represent an air of pomp and history that we just don't have.”
美國一位出版商即將製作一本漫畫書，以英國威廉王子和他未婚妻凱特．密道頓的羅曼史為經緯，以紀念他們即將結婚。題為《名揚四海：王室佳偶》的漫畫被視為「幕後窺探」這對王室佳偶的力作，這對佳人即將於4月29日在倫敦西敏寺教堂完婚。藍水製作出版社總裁戴維斯說：「身為美國人，我們深為英國王室著迷。重要的是，他們代表一種我們沒有的排場和歷史。」
The comic book recounts William's early childhood, his mother Princess Diana's death, his schooling and military career, as well as his romance with Middleton. It also examines the 29-year-old's success in handling life in the media spotlight, as she prepares to join the royals officially. “Here you have two people trapped in a fishbowl... As a non-royal how do you navigate in the sudden storm of fame? As someone used to the spotlight, how do you maintain a veil of privacy?” asked Davis. The publication by Bluewater, the leading biography comic book company in the United States, will be distributed in the US, as well as in Britain and most European Union （EU） countries.
在這本漫畫中，威廉將憶述童年生活，他母親黛安娜王妃的死，他上學和軍旅生涯點滴，以及他和密道頓的戀愛經過。書中還將探索29歲的密道頓在準備正式加入英國王室之際，如何成功處理成為媒體關注焦點的生活。戴維斯說：「這兩個人被困在金魚缸裡……作為非王室成員，一夕爆紅，她如何走過來？在習慣鎂光燈下的生活後，又將如何維護隱私的面紗？」美國傳記漫畫書商龍頭藍水出版社的這本書，將在英美兩國及歐盟大部分國家發行。
Also in London, the royal love story has been chronicled in speech bubbles and sketches. A comic book telling the story of Prince William and Kate Middleton's romance is also due to be published in April, joining a host of other books and memorabilia flooding the market ahead of the royal wedding. “There's always been a tradition in this country of comics for girls in which the girl dreams of meeting someone famous and falling in love,” said Mike Collins, the artist who did the illustrations for “Kate and William: A Very Public Love Story.” “In this case, this is what's happened and it's for real.”
此外，在倫敦，王室愛情故事早已散見仿漫畫的對話方塊和速寫中。一本講威廉王子和凱特．密道頓戀情的漫畫也將在4月出版，投入一大堆王室婚禮前早已充斥市場的其他書籍和紀念品中。為《凱特和威廉：眾目睽睽下的愛情故事》畫插畫的漫畫家柯林斯說：「英國這個漫畫王國一向有個傳統，為那個夢想遇見並愛上名人的女孩畫漫畫，在這個例子中，這是美夢成真，真實發生的事。」
The London graphic novel will be published in two editions: The first follows the prince's life from the rugby pitches of his exclusive boarding school to his adventures in the Royal Air Force, while the other traces Middleton's half of the story with cheeky fictional diary entries that imagine her as a love-struck student who later comes to terms with the ups and downs of being a future king's girlfriend. The two halves will come together in a collected bound edition that's presented as a flip book and includes a fictional account of the wedding day (and a kiss, too.) The couple make a good looking comic book superhero and heroine, Collins said. “She's got this flowing hair that's really lovely to draw, and he's got a very distinguished face.”
倫敦這本插畫小說將發行兩個版本：第一個追蹤王子的生活軌跡，從貴族寄宿學校的橄欖球賽到在英國皇家空軍冒險故事；另一個則追蹤密道頓那一半的故事，以大膽告白的日記小說，想像自己是個被愛情沖昏頭的學生，後來終於和現實妥協，接受成為未來國王女友的波折起伏。這兩半將再合體彙編成一個版本，以圖文並茂的翻頁書格式呈現，包括想像結婚那天（包括那深情一吻）的場景。柯林斯說，這對佳偶是帥氣的超級英雄和漂亮的女主角：「她那頭飄逸的頭髮，實在很好入畫，他那張臉更是高貴英挺。」
The story was conceived and written by Rich Johnston, a graphic novelist based in London. Johnston, who is also a prominent political satirist, conducted extensive research before putting pen to paper, discovering, among other things, the pet names that William and Kate apparently have for each other. She calls him “Big Willy” and he calls her “Babycakes”.
這個故事由倫敦圖像小說家強斯頓負責構思和執筆，他也是知名的政治諷刺家。下筆作畫前，他先進行廣泛的研究後發現種種趣事，其中包括威廉和凱特顯然互相給對方取了小名：她叫他作「大威利」，他叫她「親親小貝比」。
But not every couple would want their private life retold in cartoons and speech bubbles, but Johnston expresses the hope that William and Kate will read the comic and enjoy it. He said he didn't think William and his fiancee would mind having their love story chronicled in speech bubbles and cartoons. “It's better than seeing themselves on a plate,” he joked.
但並不是每對情侶都希望把自己的私生活攤開在卡通和漫畫方塊中，但強斯頓表示，希望威廉和凱特會看這些漫畫，並喜歡它。他不認為威廉和他未婚妻會介意用對話方塊和漫畫方式記錄他們的愛情故事，並開玩笑說：「這總比看到他們在杯盤裡要好吧。」
The publishers, Markosia Enterprises, released a number of comic panels ahead of publication. One panel shows William drinking with friends at a university bar and enjoying the company, seemingly unaware of Kate's hurt feelings. She watches from a corner, looking crushed. Other scenes in the novel blend fact and fiction. William can also be seen striking a manly pose in his army and air force uniforms, while Kate looks up at him admiringly.
Markosia 企業出版社出書前預發幾張漫畫。其中一張可見威廉正和朋友在大學酒吧喝酒，樂在其中，似乎並未察覺凱特已經很受傷，她從一個角落裡冷眼旁觀，看來心都碎了（圖1／美聯社）。小說其他場景亦真亦幻，虛實難辨。讀者亦可看到威廉身穿陸軍和空軍制服，擺出男子漢的英姿，凱特則愛慕地仰望他（圖2／美聯社）。
The story begins by linking their separate lives from afar. Kate is an ordinary Home Counties girl; Prince William is destined to be king. Yet Kate is deeply touched by the teenage Prince's grief at his mother's funeral as she watches it on TV in 1997. Here, using illustrations from the comic strip, we provide a narrative to some of the key cartoons from the book. Prince Harry will be his brother's best man and Kate Middleton's stylish younger sister Pippa will be her maid of honor.
故事始於把兩人各別的生活從遠方串連起來。凱特是倫敦附近小鎮一個平凡的女孩；威廉則注定要當英王。但年少的王子在母親喪禮上流露的悲傷，使1997年在電視上目睹的凱特深深感動。在這裡使用漫畫插圖，提供書中關鍵漫畫一個故事。哈利王子將擔任哥哥的伴郎，凱特．密道頓的妹妹琵琶則是她的伴娘。