World's oldest living land animal meets Duke of Edinburgh

Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, has a chat with one of St Helena's most famous residents

The Duke of Edinburgh has made friends with the world's oldest living land animal - a giant tortoise named Jonathan.

The record-breaking tortoise is aged 192 years old, and this is not his first brush with royalty.

Jonathan has previously met the Duke of Edinburgh's mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II who was first introduced to the tortoise in 1947.

In fact, the tortoise has met many members of the British royal family in his nearly two centuries of life.

The government of St Helena joked it would give Jonathan a little polish ahead of the Duke's visit - but Jonathan thankfully remained unwaxed

How do we know how old Jonathan is?

Jonathan lives in the grounds of Plantation House, the official residence of the Governor of St Helena - a British-run island in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

While Jonathan's exact age is unknown, a photograph taken in 1882 shows that when he was originally brought to the island he was already fully grown.

Experts say this would suggest he was about 50 years old by the time he arrived.

According to the Guinness World Records, Jonathan is the oldest known land animal in the world.

He has lived through a number of major historical events, including the first photograph of a person (1838), the building of the Eiffel Tower (1887), the first people to walk on the moon (1969) and the launch of Newsround (1972).

Having a yawn on the lawn - it's tough-going when you're nearly 200 years old

Who else has Jonathan met?

Many members of the British royal family have had the privilege of meeting Jonathan over the years - including King George IV, his wife the Queen Mother, his daughters Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth II and finally the former Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II's husband, Prince Philip.

Even though the tortoise is approaching the big 200, he appears to be very happy and healthy according to his long-time vet, Joe Hollins.

"In spite of losing his sense of smell and being virtually blind from cataracts, his appetite remains keen," Joe told the Guinness World Records.

"Jonathan is in good health and all the indications at present make us hopeful that he will reach his third century—if indeed he hasn't done so already."