Sir David Attenborough gifts Prince George with fossilised giant shark tooth

26 September 2020, 22:41 | Updated: 27 September 2020, 13:01

Sir David Attenborough has gifted Prince George with a fossilised giant shark's tooth to mark their meeting at a private viewing of his new environmental documentary.

Pictured with his new gift, the prince looked intrigued as he handled the fossilised tooth of an extinct Carcharocles megalodon - one of the most feared predators to have swum in the seas.

It was given to him by Sir David after a viewing of his new documentary, A Life On Our Planet, alongside the Duke of Cambridge in the grounds of Kensington Palace.

William and the 94-year-old broadcaster watched the film while socially distancing in the open air, and which saw the latter reveal his powerful first-hand account of key moments in his life as a naturalist and the devastating environment changes he has witnessed.

They were both offered directors' chairs with their names printed on the back for the viewing - but both ended up sitting in each others' seats.

Sir David also chatted to the Duchess of Cambridge after the viewing, along with the couple's three children George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The gifted tooth, which was found by Sir David during a family holiday to Malta in the 1960s, is embedded in the island's soft yellow limestone from the Miocene period 23 million years ago.

Carcharocles megalodon are believed to have grown to 15 metres in length - or twice the length of a great white shark.

Last year, the Duke of Cambridge interviewed Sir David at the World Eonomic Forum in Davos Switzerland, where he warned humanity must act to not "annihilate part of the natural world".

They have continued to support each other since the interview in their shared mission to protect the environment and the natural world.

Such support includes working together on William's Earshot Prize of which further details are set to be released in the coming weeks.