Prince Louis heard for the first time as he quizzes David Attenborough alongside Prince George and Princess Charlotte

'What's your favourite animal?'

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Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, have appeared in rare video footage to quiz Sir David Attenborough about extinction, spiders and the naturalist's favourite animals.

George, 7, Charlotte, 5, and Louis, 2, whose voices are rarely heard in public, asked the veteran broadcaster, 94, questions about the natural world in footage recorded at Kensington Palace last month.

The three children seem set to follow their father, Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II's grandson, and their grandfather, Prince Charles, in pursuing environmental causes.

Pictured in a red school polo shirt, George says: "Hello David Attenborough, what animal do you think will become extinct next?", while his sister Charlotte, in a grey school dress, reveals she likes spiders. "Do you like spiders, too?," she asks.

Louis, whose voice is heard in public for the first time, asks: "What animal do you like?"

epa08700623 A handout photo made available by Kensington Palace shows Britain's Prince William (3-R), the Duke of Cambridge, Catherine (2-R) the Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George (2-L), Princess Charlotte (R) and Prince Louis (3-L) with Sir David Attenborough (L) in the gardens of Kensington Palace after The Duke and Sir David attended an outdoor screening of Sir David's upcoming feature film in London, Britain, 24 September 2020 (issued 27 September 2020). 

NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption  EPA/KENSINGTON PALACE HANDOUT NOT FOR USE AFTER 31 DECEMBER, 2020, WITHOUT PRIOR PERMISSION FROM KENSINGTON PALACE.  MANDATORY CREDIT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES
Prince George was presented with a fossilised shark's tooth during David Attenborough's Kensington Palace visit. EPA

Last month, Attenborough was pictured in the gardens of Kensington Palace after joining the young family to watch an outdoor screening of his film David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet.

To celebrate the occasion, the naturalist gave George, who is third in line to the British throne, a fossilised shark tooth. “When they met, Sir David gave Prince George a tooth from a giant shark, the scientific name of which is carcharocles megalodon (‘big tooth’),” a post on the Kensington Royal Instagram page read.

“Sir David found the tooth on a family holiday to Malta in the late 1960s, embedded in the island’s soft yellow limestone which was laid down during the Miocene period some 23 million years ago. Carcharocles is believed to have grown to 15 metres in length, which is about twice the length of the Great White, the largest shark alive today.”

But the gift sparked controversy when Malta asked for it to be returned. However, the country has since said the prince can keep it.