Ah, Prince Philip.

Where would we be without him?

At the fine old age of 92, the Queen's consort proved he has lost none of his ability for asking baffling questions when, on a visit to insurance house Lloyd's of London yesterday on the occasion of its 325th anniversary, the Duke expressed concern about a potential royal vermin problem.

"Is the Royal Collection insured against damage by mice?" he asked Paul Lawrence, chief underwriting officer with the global specialist insurance group Hiscox."For you, everything is covered," replied Mr Lawrence.

The underwriters are responsible for arranging insurance cover for the collection, one of the largest on earth, which contains more than 7,000 paintings and 40,000 watercolours.

And its good to know they are covered against rodents snacking on them.Officials at Buckingham Palace and the Royal Collection Trust were baffled by the question though, according to a report in The Daily Express."We don't have any concerns about mice in relation to the Royal Collection," said a spokeswoman for the trust.