Prince Philip was the gruff figure at heart of Britain's monarchy

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Prince Philip leaves the King Edward VII's Hospital in London, Britain December 24, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

LONDON (Reuters) - A blunt-speaking naval officer who as Queen Elizabeth's dutiful consort helped modernise the British monarchy, Prince Philip might be best remembered for his gruff public persona.

Outspoken and irascible, Philip lived in the shadow of the woman he married at Westminster Abbey in 1947 and always walked a step behind the queen at the thousands of ceremonial events they attended during her reign, the longest in British history.