Royal Wedding announced

Prince William has announced that he will marry his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton in London next year.

The Prince is likely to be King one day, as he is second in line to the throne, so the wedding will probably be a very big event. The ceremony is likely to be next spring or summer, and to be held in either Westminster Abbey or St Paul's Cathedral. People are hoping for a public holiday on the day of the wedding.

The pair have been together for eight years since meeting at university in Scotland.

Harry Potter is back

British cinemas will be busy this weekend as the latest Harry Potter film is released.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is the seventh film about the boy wizard and his fight against the evil Voldemort. The final film will come out next summer.

The films have all been taken from the series of books written by JK Rowling. The last book was so long and detailed that it has been made into two films rather than one.

The three young actors who starred as Harry Potter and his friends Ron and Hermione have all grown up during the making of the films over the past 10 years. They are looking forward to doing other things, but now JK Rowling has said she could write more Potter books. "I think I am done but you never know," she said.

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter, is not keen to do more films. "She promised me that there wouldn't be another book involving Harry," he said. "I think 10 years is a long time to spend with one character."

The little vase with a big surprise

One family got a very big shock this week when an old vase sold for GBP 51m.

The 300-year old Chinese vase had belonged to an elderly man who had died. His sister and nephew were clearing his house out, and the vase and other things went to be sold.

The family were not expecting it to be valuable. Years ago, the owner took it to an expert on a TV programme who said it was a copy. Later, they were told it might be worth about GBP 800.

The sister of the vase's owner was very shocked when it sold for GBP 51m. "Her face went from smiling to amazement to complete shock," said the manager of the place where it was sold.

Burglar leaves big clue for police

A burglar with a broken leg was caught because he cut off the plaster cast protecting his injury so that he could run away from police.

Paul Hammond had the blue cast on his leg when he broke into a house. He took things from the house before stealing the owner's car keys and using the car to get away.

But he crashed the car. He thought walking in the cast would slow him down so he cut it off and left it in the road. A police officer recognised the cast and arrested Hammond.

by Susan Young
susan@englishuk.com