The Duke of Edinburgh shocked volunteers when he asked them, "Who do you sponge off?"
The 94-year-old royal was visiting Chadwell Heath Community Centre with his wife The Queen when he made the comment while talking to members of the Chadwell Heath Asian Women’s Network.
Founder of the organisation Nusrat Zamir, 35, explained: "The Duke said to us ‘Who do you sponge off?’ We’re all married so it’s our husbands.
"He was just teasing and it’s similar to what I call my husband – the wallet.
"It’s a familiar question, a lot of people say what the Duke said but we do a lot of work. When we organised a fair in March that took a lot of organising and time."
Following the incident, Prince Philip, who is renowned for his incorrigible sense of humour, made another gaffe when he asked a professional fundraiser, "Do you have any friends left?"
During the visit, the couple were shown around the centre to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Barking and Dagenham’s creation as a London Borough and the residents were thrilled about their royal visitors.
One local, Ms Estlea, said: "It was all lovely. I’m really happy with how it went. It felt comfortable, it felt easy, it felt right."
Prince Philip shocks volunteers with gaffe
