Prince William, Britain’s Duke of Cambridge, has asked two photographers to stop taking pictures of his son, baby Prince George.
He said they are bothering the baby and his nanny.
William sent two photographers a letter, asking them to stop following his son around.
The photographers are “freelancers,” which means they work for themselves rather than a company. They take pictures of famous people and sell them to newspapers and magazines.
These kinds of photographers are also known as “paparazzi.” Many celebrities complain about paparazzi bothering them and infringing on their personal space.
Paparazzi are particularly disturbing to William, because his mother–the very popular and famous Princess Diana–was killed in 1997 during a car accident while she was apparently fleeing a photographer.
After that incident, the royal family asked photographers to leave Diana’s two sons–Prince William and Prince Henry–alone until they were young adults. The photographers and reporters agreed to that request.
The 14-month-old prince has not had many photos of him appear in newspapers in Britain, other than right after his birth and when he was christened. However, photos of him have been published in European newspapers.
His parents say they want him to have as normal a childhood as possible.
Prince George will soon have a little brother or sister; the royal couple are expecting their second baby.
The new baby will be fourth in line to the throne, meaning that there are three people ahead of him or her to become King or Queen of England.
First in line to the throne is Prince Charles (William’s father); second in line is William; third in line is baby Prince George; fourth will be the new baby boy or girl; and fifth is Prince Harry, William’s brother.
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
By Kathleen Tilly and Joyce Grant
Writing/Discussion Prompt
The royal family wants their child to have “a normal childhood.” What do you think they mean by that? Do you think Prince George, who could one day be the King of England, will have a “normal” childhood? Why or why not?
Reading Prompt: Extending Understanding
If you were one of those two photographers, what would you do? Would you listen to Prince William and stop taking the photos, or would you continue to take the photographs in order to earn a living?
Junior
Extend understanding of texts by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Intermediate
Extend understanding of texts, including increasingly complex or difficult texts, by connecting the ideas in them to their own knowledge, experience, and insights, to other familiar texts, and to the world around them (OME, Reading: 1.6).
Language Feature: Possessives
Nouns (people, places and things) often belong to someone or something. To show belonging, possessives are used.
Possessives are used in the following three examples: Britain’s Duke of Cambridge, Diana’s sons, William’s father. What is similar about these three examples?
Can you think of 5 other examples of possessives?
