Prince Philip had a walk-on part in the royal drama, but he played it to perfection | Simon Jenkins

There must have been intense frustration at the limitations of his role, but he was a rock for his hardworking wife

It is not disparaging of Prince Philip, who has died aged 99, to say he was always a walk-on part in the pantomime of monarchy. It was a part in which he was a star. Plucked from the ranks of lesser European royalty as the “suitable” husband for a queen, he was perfectly cast. Nephew of the king of Greece, safely naval and effortlessly gracious, he took to his assigned role as if to...