Rare monkey born wearing a golden crown

Covered in glistening gold, a three-week old baby monkey has crowds in awe at ZSL London Zoo.

While some may say that the Royal baby will be born with a silver spoon in its mouth, ZSL London Zoo's baby Francois langur monkey has arrived wearing a golden crown on its head.

Mum, Lu Lu, and dad, Neo, are both black in colour, but baby Chúa, whose name means Princess in Vietnamese, is covered from head-to-toe in bright orange fur, with a crown-like tuft sticking up on her head.

The striking-looking youngster, whose flame-coloured hair makes her stand out like a beacon, is already being papped on a daily basis by the Zoo's visitors and mum likes to proudly show off her bright bundle of joy.

The tiny youngster spends most of her time snuggling up to mum, but in the same way the females behave in the wild, "auntie" Lee Lee and big sister Mai are keen to help out with babysitting duties and can often be seen stealing Chúa from mum for a cuddle.

Francois langurs are one of the world's rarest monkeys, and originate from northeast Vietnam and China. Classed as critically endangered, their populations are declining rapidly because of habitat loss.

The newest addition to the Royal Baby Trail, visitors can look out for the "Royal Zoo Baby" crest adorning all of the exhibits that are home to babies and infants at ZSL London Zoo.

To find out more visit www.zsl.org or follow ZSL London Zoo on twitter @zsllondonzoo.