Malta says it will seek to retrieve a shark tooth that was presented to Prince George by veteran broadcaster and naturalist Sir David Attenborough, who found the fossil during a holiday on the Mediterranean island in the 1960s.

Culture Minister Jose Herrera said he will "get the ball rolling" to bring back the tooth to be exhibited in a Maltese museum.

"There are some artifacts that are important to natural heritage which ended up abroad and deserve to be retrieved," he told the Times of Malta.

The fossil, believed to be around three million years old, belonged to an extinct species of a giant shark that could grow up to 16m, three times the size of modern great white sharks.

Prince William pictured with his sons Prince George and Prince Louis during a meeting with Sir David Attenborough. Photo / @KensingtonRoyal

Attenborough, 94, presented the fossil to Prince George during a private viewing of his new documentary at Kensington Palace.

Photos released by the palace over the weekend showed the 7-year-old Prince looking intrigued as he looked at the tooth. Malta is a former British colony that obtained independence in 1964.

Kensington Palace declined to comment.