Queen ponders over legality of gifts

Some of her gifts on display are illegal and would have to be handed back.

London: Queen Elizabeth II has wondered whether some of her gifts on display at an exhibition at Buckingham Palace, which she had received over the years as the Head of the Commonwealth, were illegal and would have to be handed back.Three sperm whales` teeth fashioned into necklaces, which had been presented to the Queen by the Paramount Chiefs of Fiji on her various trips, had the monarch wondering whether they were "illegal," Times Online reported.

The items are part of a public exhibition opening tomorrow at Buckingham Palace, her official residence in London, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Commonwealth. The exhibition also shows off dresses and gowns worn by Queen Elizabeth during her Commonwealth tours. Earlier, the 83-year-old sovereign questioned whether the sperm whale teeth should be on display, saying "only they`re illegal now." Queen yesterday toured the exhibition of her gifts only after receiving assurance that she was not in trouble for displaying these items. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said "historic" sperm-whale teeth did not need a Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Licence if they were only on display. Bureau Report