How a South Pacific island came to worship Prince Philip as their true messiah
There will be few places where the Duke s loss will be felt as keenly as the island of Tanna where they prayed to him every day
18 April 2021 • 6:00am
The people of Tanna have worshipped the Duke since the Sixties
Credit: Richard Shears / Rex Features
The Duke of Edinburgh may have garnered numerous illustrious titles over his decades of service, but to a tribe on the South Pacific island of Tanna he was only ever known – and worshipped – as “The Big Man”.
For most of his public life, Prince Philip has been regarded as a living deity by a tribe living on the tiny volcanic island which is part of the Vanuatu archipelago. According to local legend, the pale-skinned son of a mountain god once ventured far away across the ocean to marry a powerful woman. In the Sixties, when Vanuatu was an Anglo-French colony known as the New Hebrides, it is believed that tribesmen would have set eyes on a
Remote South Pacific tribe who worship Prince Philip debate replacing him as their god with his son Charles in papal conclave-like ceremony and mourn their fallen deity for 100 days
Remote 400-strong South Pacific tribe are mourning the loss of Prince Philip who was revered as a god
Yaohnanen tribesmen and women live on the Vanuatu island of Tanna and harvest their own food
The tribe prayed each day to Prince Philip to protect their banana and yam crops from destruction
Since finding out about his death the group will undergo a mourning process that could last several weeks
Prince Philip s light shines on: King and Queen of Bhutan light 1,000 lamps and pray in memory of the Duke of Edinburgh
King Jigme Khesar Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema of Bhutan paid tribute to Prince Philip after his death
Royals lit 1,000 candles in tribute to the 99-year-old and prayed for him at a fortress in the country s east
Another 1,000 candles were lit and prayers offered by government ministers at fortress near the capital
The king also instructed monasteries across Bhutan to offer special prayers for the Duke of Edinburgh
Bhutan s royal family shares close ties with Britain because UK helped them come to power in the 1800s
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