Malta demands return of Attenborough’s fossil gift to Prince George

The shark tooth given to the prince was found by Sir David Attenborough while on holiday in Malta in the late 1960s
The shark tooth given to the prince was found by Sir David Attenborough while on holiday in Malta in the late 1960s
EPA/KENSINGTON PALACE

From the Elgin Marbles to the Benin bronzes, Britain’s cultural treasures have long prompted international tension as they faced demands to be returned to their country of origin.

Now there is another ancient object in British hands which threatens to start a diplomatic rumpus: Prince George’s fossil shark tooth.

Sir David Attenborough, 94, gave the seven-year-old prince the tooth — believed to be about 23 million years old — during a visit to Kensington Palace last week. He originally found it on holiday in Malta in the late 1960s.

However, a Maltese government minister has said that it should now be returned to Malta and displayed in a local museum.

It joins the Rosetta Stone, the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the Elgin Marbles and Nigeria’s Benin