Prince Philip said more than a friendly “hello” and “goodbye” to volunteers while touring the Chadwell Health Community Centre in London on Thursday, July 16. A group of women peaked his interest, leading the Duke of Edinburgh to ask some personal questions.
“The Duke said to us, ‘Who do you sponge off?’ We’re all married so it’s our husbands,” Nusrat Zamir explained via Sky News.
“He was just teasing and it’s similar to what I call my husband — the wallet,” she continued. A royal aide chimed in: “There’s a context here, they were talking about a sponge cake, no offense was intended or taken.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, 94, didn’t just talk dessert. He also asked the ladies if they often meet up to gossip. Zamir added: “It’s a familiar question, a lot of people say what the Duke said but we do a lot of work.”
The women rather enjoyed their time with Prince Philip, and learned something new — don’t use the word “community” in his presence!
“The Duke told me off for using the word ‘community’ so many times, so I asked him what I was supposed to say and he just laughed at me,” Zamir said. “And as they left and I was shaking his hand I told him I was going to find a thesaurus to find a different word for ‘community’ and he just laughed.”
Prince Philip’s chatty outing comes just days after he cursed out a photographer during an event marking the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. His grandson, Prince William, appeared embarrassed when Prince Philip grew tired of waiting and told the cameraman to “just take the f—ing picture!”
