Prince Philip asks women at East London community centre who they 'sponge off'

Duke of Edinburgh was visiting the Chadwell Heath Community centre with the Queen when he made the joke

The the Duke of Edinbugh talks to locals who took part in a Pilates demonstration during his and Queen Elizabeth II visit to Chadwell Heath Community Centre (Press Association )

Prince Philip reportedly asked a group of women who they “sponge off” while visiting a London community centre.

The Duke of Edinburgh was at the Chadwell Heath Community Centre, in east London, during an official visit with the Queen when he made the comment, according to the Mail Online.

The 94-year-old spoke to a group of women present for the centre’s opening day, who said his question was intended as a joke.

Nusrat Zamir told The Mail: “He was just teasing and it's similar to what I call my husband - the wallet.” Ms Zamir, who runs the Chadwell Heath Asian Women's Network within the centre, added: “He also said 'do you meet to have a gossip?'

“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."

Ms Zamir presented the Queen with a sponge cake upon their arrival. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace declined to comment, but a royal aide highlighted the context of remark, telling The Independent he had been chatting about the sponge cake before making the joke.

The gaffe-prone Prince was also recently spotted shouting “just take the f**king picture" at a cameraman during a photocall with war veterans for the Battle of Britain.