Prince Philip is honored as a Vanuatu theologian

News from Prince Philip dies at the age of 99He arrived a few days late in Vanuatu, a country in Oceania where some tribes revered Queen Elizabeth II’s husband as a deity. Now, the title can be “transferred” to Prince Charles.

Philip’s story with the Yakel and Yaohnahen tribes dates back to 1974, when the royal couple visited Vanuatu and the queen’s consort presented the tribes with a pig. Soon their leaders concluded that Philip was the embodiment of an ancient prophecy.

In the legend of Yakel and Yaohnahen, a powerful warrior left the tribes for centuries, promising to return “with a strong white wife” and thus seal peace between the natives and colonists.

After identifying Philip as this incarnate warrior, the tribal leaders (today with around 400 members) waited patiently for his return to the area. Now they say that “the prince’s body will remain in the United Kingdom, but his soul will join them”.

The Queen’s husband did not even abandon his “followers”: minors and tribes exchanged correspondence for decades after Philip visited the country; In 2007, five community members visited Windsor Castle to meet with the king.

Meanwhile, according to the Yakel and Yaohnahen tradition, the honorary position that belonged to Philip in the tribal rites must be transferred to his eldest son, Prince Charles – but only if the royal family agrees.

“They said that if Charles wanted to take over his father’s title and maintain a relationship with them, that would be very good. But if not, then Prince Philip’s soul had to be passed on to the last of his children or grandchildren, and to follow traditions in the future,” said the Vanuatu Culture Officer Jean Pascal White.