<p>Britain's young Prince George can keep his giant shark tooth fossil.</p>.<p>Culture Minister Jose Herrera reversed himself after facing a backlash for announcing his intention to reclaim the shark tooth fossil that had been a gift to 7-year-old prince from British naturalist and TV presenter David Attenborough.</p>.<p>A spokesman for the minister told Times of Malta on Tuesday that “it is not (our) intention to pursue this matter any further.”</p>.<p>Asked about the flap, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela said “we should avoid creating unnecessary controversies.”</p>.<p>Critics of the plan included the son of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Matthew, who wrote on Twitter that a “megalodon tooth costs USD 40 on eBay. Corruption has cost us billions of euros. I ask my government to prioritize and please get a grip on what's important.”</p>.<p>The fossil, believed to be around three million years old, belonged to an extinct species of a giant shark that could grow up to 16 meters (about 50 feet), three times the size of modern great white sharks.</p>.<p>Attenborough, 94, presented the fossil to the prince during a private viewing of his new documentary at Kensington Palace. He had found it during a vacation in the island nation in the 1960s.</p>.<p>Photos released by the palace over the weekend showed Prince George looking intrigued as he inspected the tooth.</p>.<p>Malta is a former British colony that obtained independence in 1964.</p>
<p>Britain's young Prince George can keep his giant shark tooth fossil.</p>.<p>Culture Minister Jose Herrera reversed himself after facing a backlash for announcing his intention to reclaim the shark tooth fossil that had been a gift to 7-year-old prince from British naturalist and TV presenter David Attenborough.</p>.<p>A spokesman for the minister told Times of Malta on Tuesday that “it is not (our) intention to pursue this matter any further.”</p>.<p>Asked about the flap, Maltese Prime Minister Robert Abela said “we should avoid creating unnecessary controversies.”</p>.<p>Critics of the plan included the son of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, Matthew, who wrote on Twitter that a “megalodon tooth costs USD 40 on eBay. Corruption has cost us billions of euros. I ask my government to prioritize and please get a grip on what's important.”</p>.<p>The fossil, believed to be around three million years old, belonged to an extinct species of a giant shark that could grow up to 16 meters (about 50 feet), three times the size of modern great white sharks.</p>.<p>Attenborough, 94, presented the fossil to the prince during a private viewing of his new documentary at Kensington Palace. He had found it during a vacation in the island nation in the 1960s.</p>.<p>Photos released by the palace over the weekend showed Prince George looking intrigued as he inspected the tooth.</p>.<p>Malta is a former British colony that obtained independence in 1964.</p>