George, Charlotte and Louis speak in public for first time with Sir David Attenborough

3 October 2020, 14:45 | Updated: 3 October 2020, 16:15

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have all asked legendary broadcaster Sir David Attenborough their burning questions about wildlife.

In what marks each of their first time speaking in public, three of the youngest members of the Royal family dove in with what they wanted to know about Sir David's favourites and preferences.

Prince George, seven, asked: "Hello David Attenborough, what animal do you think will become extinct next?"

Sir David replied: "Let's hope there won't be any. There are lots of things we can do when animals are in danger of extinction. We can protect them.

"About 40 years ago I was with some mountain gorillas in the centre of Africa. Mountain gorillas were then very, very rare - only two hundred and fifty of them left. And we showed pictures of them on television around the world and people thought how terrible it would be if these became extinct.

"Ao they subscribed lots of money and lots of people came to help and now, there are over a thousand of them. So you can save an animal if you want to and out your mind to it. People round the world are doing that because animals are so precious. Let's hope there won't be any more that'll go extinct."

Charlotte, five, said: "Hello David Attenborough, I like spiders, do you like spiders too?"

A thrilled Sir David said: "I love spiders, I'm so glad you like them! I think they're wonderful things. Why is it that people are so frightened of them? I think it's because they've actually got eight legs, which are much more than us.

Read more: Sir David Attenborough gifts Prince George with fossilised giant shark tooth

"If you've got eight legs you  can move in any direction so you can never be sure which way that spider's going to go. So people don't like them and they don't like those hairy legs either.

"But spiders are so clever. Have you ever tried to watch one build its web? That is extraordinary. How does it make this circular web like that."

But two-year-old Louis managed to steal the show, charging straight in with his question of: "What animal do you like?"

"I think I like monkeys best", Sir David replied.

Cause they're such fun. They can jump all over the place and they don't bite, some do but they're very careful, and they're so funny.

"I like them a lot.

"Mind you, you can't have monkeys sitting around the home because that's not where they live they live out in the forest.

"So what can you have at home that you like? Well, which would you choose? A puppy or a kitten? That's a very difficult question."

It is understood all three of the children are "massive fans" of Sir David, and recorded their video messages before meeting him in person last week.

Sir David met them with their parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at their home in Kensington, for a private viewing of his new documentary A Life On Our Planet.

George was gifted a 23 million year old sharks tooth of an extinct Carcharocles megalodon - one of the most feared predators to have swum in the seas.

Prince 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.

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.