“行政权力受制衡”：查尔斯国王在美国国会引用《大宪章》的原因
‘Executive power is subject to checks and balances’: wh…
Charles received a standing ovation from Congress when he highlighted the principle of checks and balances.
当他强调了制衡原则后，查尔斯获得了国会的起立鼓掌。
In his speech to Congress during a trip to the US to mark the country’s 250th anniversary, King Charles made repeated references to Magna Carta, the medieval English charter that laid the foundations for the modern rule of law. Dating back to 1215, Magna Carta also established for the first time that the monarch was not above the law. Charles used his speech to reference the common Anglo-American tradition of law, and of how the charter has been cited in more than 160 US judgments of the US Supreme Court.
在他访问美国纪念国家成立250周年时对国会发表的演讲中，查尔斯国王多次提到了《大宪章》，这部中世纪的英国宪章为现代法治奠定了基础。《大宪章》可追溯到1215年，它首次确立了君主并非凌驾于法律之上的地位。查尔斯利用这次演讲引用了共同的英美法律传统，并提及该宪章曾被美国最高法院的160多项判决引用。
It was notable that the king chose to cite this ancient charter, which stands as a symbol of protecting freedom and guarding against tyranny, at such a tricky moment for US-UK relations. Perhaps not surprisingly in the context of an erratic and controversial US president, the remarks from the king were well received by parts of the audience.
值得注意的是，国王选择在美英关系如此微妙的时刻引用这份古老的宪章，因为它象征着保护自由和防范暴政。在当前美国总统行为反复无常且充满争议的背景下，国王的这些言论得到了听众一部分人的好评。
In fact, Charles enjoyed a standing ovation when he stated that Magna Carta was the very “foundation of the principal that executive power is subject to checks and balances”. In other words, it serves as the basis for the rule of law.
事实上，当查尔斯宣称《大宪章》是“行政权力必须接受制衡和平衡的原则的基石”时，他获得了起立鼓掌。换句话说，它构成了法治的基础。
Charles is only the third ruling British monarch to visit the US. But during all three visits, Magna Carta has been trumpeted in support of a supposedly very special alliance. King George VI, Charles’ grandfather, began this in 1939. Back then, he visited the New York World Fair where Lincoln Cathedral’s original Magna Carta of 1215 was on display as the centrepiece of the British pavilion.
查尔斯是第三位访问美国的在位英国君主。但在所有三次访问中，《大宪章》都被吹捧用来支持所谓的特殊联盟。查尔斯的祖父乔治六世于1939年开始了这一做法。当时，他访问了纽约世界博览会，1215年的《大宪章》作为英国馆的中心展品展出。
War broke out that same year, and so Lincoln’s Magna Carta became stranded in the US. It was guarded in the gold depository at Fort Knox, Kentucky, until it could be returned to England in 1946.
同年爆发了战争，因此林肯的《大宪章》滞留在美国。它被看管在肯塔基州福特诺克斯的金库中，直到1946年才能运回英国。
At a low point in British fortunes following both the fall of France and the Blitz, in the summer of 1941, prime minister Winston Churchill even considered gifting it to the American people. Had he done so, this would have served as a reminder of America’s responsibilities to war-torn Europe.
在法国陷落和“不列颠风暴”之后，英国处境低谷时，1941年夏天，首相温斯顿·丘吉尔甚至考虑将它赠予美国人民。如果他这样做，这将提醒美国对饱受战火蹂躏的欧洲负有责任。
In 1976, when Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, visited Washington for the bicentenary of American independence, there was again talk – not least from the British prime minister Harold Wilson – of gifting a Magna Carta to the US.
1976年，当查尔斯母亲伊丽莎白二世访问华盛顿纪念美国独立二百周年时，人们再次讨论了——尤其是英国首相哈罗德·威尔逊——将《大宪章》赠予美国的提议。
In the end, this was resolved by the presentation of a replica crafted in gold and enamel (which is now somewhat sheepishly displayed in the crypt of the US Capitol) .
最终，这个问题通过展示一件用金和珐琅工艺制作的复制品得到了解决（该复制品现在有些不好意思地陈列在美国国会大厦的地下室）。
Legacy in US statute
美国法规中的遗产
In all of this, Magna Carta for many Americans remains an icon of the rule of law, or what in the US is called “due process”. Where only four of the charter’s original 60 clauses are still operative under English law, the entire text was incorporated in the statute books of no less than 17 US states, beginning with South Carolina in 1836 and ending with North Dakota in 1943.
在所有这些方面，对于许多美国人来说，《大宪章》仍然是法治的象征，或者说，在美国被称为“正当法律程序”。尽管《大宪章》最初的60条条款中只有四条在英国法律下仍然有效，但其全部文本却被纳入了不少于17个美国州的法规典籍，最早可追溯到1836年的南卡罗来纳州，直到1943年的北达科他州。
Images of England’s King John presenting Magna Carta to his barons are carved or painted in many state capitols or court houses, including on the vast bronze doors of the Supreme Court building in Washington.
描绘英格兰约翰国王向男爵们呈递《大宪章》的图像，被雕刻或绘制在许多州议会或法院大楼上，包括华盛顿最高法院大楼巨大的青铜门上。
The US National Archives (thanks to a long-term loan) , and Harvard Law School both possess originals of the English charter. That of the National Archives is via a reissue of 1297, sold to the presidential candidate Ross Perot in 1984, while Harvard’s is from a 1300 reissue, purchased in 1946 as a mere “copy” for US$27.50 (around £7 at the time) . This was reauthenticated in 2025 as a lost (and therefore extremely valuable) original.
美国国家档案馆（得益于长期借展），和哈佛法学院都收藏有英国《大宪章》的原件。国家档案馆的版本是1297年重新发行的，于1984年出售给总统候选人罗斯·佩罗特；而哈佛的版本则来自1300年重新发行的，于1946年以27.50美元（当时约合7英镑）购得，当时仅被视为“副本”。该件文物于2025年重新鉴定，被认定为一件失落的（因此极其珍贵的）原件。
And in the UK, an acre of Runnymede in England, where Magna Carta was sealed, was granted to the American people in perpetuity in 1965. This was done both in honour of a shared respect for the principle of liberty, and as a memorial to President John F. Kennedy, assassinated in 1963.
而在英国，位于英格兰伦尼麦德的一英亩土地，正是《大宪章》签署地，于1965年永久授予了美国人民。此举既是对共同尊重自由原则的致敬，也是对1963年遇刺的约翰·F·肯尼迪总统的纪念。
Of course, there are aspects of this story that belong more to the realm of myth than reality. For instance, of Magna Carta’s many appearances in US supreme court judgments, a surprising number cite it not as a touchstone of liberty or the rights of man, but in defence of commercial or corporate privilege.
当然，这个故事中有些方面更属于神话范畴而非现实。例如，在美国最高法院的许多判决中提及《大宪章》时，令人惊讶的是，许多引用它并非作为自由或人权的基石，而是为了维护商业或企业特权。
Even so, the standing ovation for King Charles and his remarks about checks and balances suggest that Magna Carta remains a potent symbol. In what was widely received as a pitch-perfect speech, the king reminded the land of the free that the price of US (or indeed UK) freedom is not only eternal vigilance, but a healthy respect for the shared Anglo-American past.
即便如此，对查尔斯国王的起立鼓掌以及他关于制衡的讲话表明，《大宪章》仍然是一个强有力的象征。在被广泛认为是完美演讲的场合，国王提醒了自由的土地，美国（或事实上是英国）的自由的代价，不仅是永恒的警惕，更是对共同英美历史的健康尊重。
Nicholas Vincent does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
尼古拉斯·文森特（Nicholas Vincent）不为任何受益于本文的公司或组织工作、咨询、持有股份或接受资金，并且除了其学术职位外，未披露任何相关任职关系。
