Stradivarius Cello reportedly damaged at the Spanish Royal House in Madrid

Meanwhile, the National Heritage official declined to specify what went wrong. She did said the cello can and will be repaired.

According to Associated Press, an official at the Spanish Royal House in Madrid confirmed that a rare Stradivarius cello housed at the palace has been damaged while it was handled by experts during a phot session. The instrument could be worth more than $20 million.

Meanwhile, the National Heritage official declined to specify what went wrong. She refused to comment on an El Mundo newspaper report that the instrument fell off a table during the photo session. She confirmed it happened about three weeks ago. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.

The damage sustained: a piece that joins the neck of the 17th-century instrument to the body of it broke and fell off the rest of the cello. That piece was not original but rather a replacement installed in the 19th century. The herritage official said it was part of a set of instruments -- two violins and a viola were the others -- that were known as "the Quartet." They got this name because they were commissioned at the same time.

At the same time, the official told newspaper the cello can and will be repaired. It is known that Stradivarius instruments are considered the best stringed instruments ever made. Stradivarius' cellos, violins lutes, mandolins, guitars and harps were all handcrafted by Antonio Stradivari in 17th and 18th century Italy. Stradivari designed and crafted more than 1,000 and other instruments during his lifetime, many of which still exist today.

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