Queen Mary and King Frederik’s surprise visit to young patients
Queen Mary has praised the ‘amazing’ work of the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne after making an unexpected visit that delighted dozens of sick children and their families
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Australian-born Queen Mary and her husband King Frederik of Denmark* have made a surprise visit to the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne, delighting young patients as part of their six-day visit Down Under.
The Danish royals stopped by the hospital on Wednesday following a planned tour of the nearby Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
Mary spoke to dozens of sick children, parents and staff as crowds gathered in the foyer to spot the royals.
Speaking exclusively to the Herald Sun, Queen Mary said: “It’s been an amazing visit and I understand this hospital does amazing things for children and their families. It’s wonderful to have been able to visit.”
Archie, 10, was at the hospital for an eye appointment when he met Mary.
His mother, Ros, said she spoke to Tasmanian-born Mary about Archie’s condition.
“Archie has a rare genetic* disease, we’re here pretty much weekly,” she said.
“He was diagnosed here when he was one and that pretty much changed the course of his treatment and management.”
Grace, 13, also had the opportunity to speak to Mary.
“It felt pretty cool,” she said.
After kicking off the Danish royal tour in the Northern Territory and the ACT, on Tuesday Queen Mary wasted no time showing off her footy skills upon arriving in Victoria, skilfully punting a Sherrin* at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Some lucky young Auskick participants, Hawthorn players and two AFL club presidents joined the couple for a fun afternoon.
The pair were seen smiling and laughing as they posed up for pictures on the field.
The Danish Queen was loudly cheered as she revealed just how well she could boot a football.
The Sherrin sailed through the goalposts and earned Mary a two-handed goal signal from the umpire.
POLL
GLOSSARY
- Denmark: a constitutional monarchy and democracy, Denmark is a Nordic country in Northern Europe
- genetic: anything relating to genes, the DNA sequencing of inherited traits
- Sherrin: AFL’s official match ball
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QUICK QUIZ
- Mary and Frederik are the reigning monarchs of which nation?
- Where was Mary born?
- Which two children’s health facilities did the royal couple visit in Melbourne?
- Which ball sport did Mary try upon arrival in Victoria?
- How old was young patient Archie when he was diagnosed with a genetic condition and approximately how often does he need to visit the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne?
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CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. News: condensed
Identify the most important pieces of information in this article and write a condensed version of it using 50 words or less.
Draw a picture or diagram to support your condensed news story.
Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Science
2. Extension
Compare your condensed news story with a classmate. Did you both include the same information or are your stories quite different? Discuss your choices and then work together to create a final condensed version of the story that you both agree tells the important parts that a reader would need or want to know.
Time: allow 20 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English
VCOP ACTIVITY
Read with Kung Fu punctuation
Pair up with the article between you and stand up to make it easy to demonstrate your Kung Fu punctuation.
Practise reading one sentence at a time. Now read it again, while acting out the punctuation as you read.
Read and act three sentences before swapping with your partner.
Take two turns each.
Now ask your partner to read a sentence out loud while you try and act out the punctuation. Can you keep up? Swap over?
Try acting out two sentences – are you laughing yet?