Tribe who worshipped Prince Philip as a god could be set to worship King Charles

The South Pacific tribe known as the Tanna tribe, who once worshipped Prince Philip as a living god, could soon be turned to worshipping King Charles III, according to an anthropologist.

The Tanna tribe, located on the tiny island of Tanna, Vanuatu, have been publicized before for their worshipping of the royal family on TV documentaries, including on An Idiot Abroad, which saw Karl Pilkington visit the tribe.

The group that make up the Tanna tribe believed that the late Prince Philip was sent to them from their spiritual ancestors during a visit back in 1974 - although they are believed to have been worshipping him from as early as the 1950s or 1960s. Since his visit in the early 70s, they prayed that he would one day return and, with him, bring prosperity and good fortune to the village and its members.

Interestingly, the Tanna tribe did not believe that Prince Philip was English - in fact, they believed he was a part of their tribe.

“They explain his light skin with a story that says he rolled on a coral reef and it shredded off his black skin and left him white,” Mr Kirk Huffman, an anthropologist who is familiar with the tribe and what is known as the 'Prince Philip Movement', said when speaking to The Daily Telegraph.

When news of Prince Phillip's passing reached the island last year, the villagers responded with dancing and ritualistic wailing with the passing of a ceremonial drink, before looking towards a new leader.

When asked about the ceremonial drink, Mr Huffman told The Telegraph: “On Tanna it is not drunk as a means of getting drunk. It connects the material world with the non-material world.”

And now, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, it is expected that the Tanna tribe may begin to worship the newly appointed King Charles III moving forward.

He visited the island back in 2018 and was appointed as honorary chief. He also drank kava from a hollowed-out coconut with the tribe - a drink made from a mixture of water and crushed roots of the kava plant.

Mr Huffman said that a 'connection was made between the then Prince Charles and the Tanna tribe, saying: “I suspect the beliefs of the islanders will continue with Prince Charles", suggesting the tribe will soon turn their beliefs onto the new King.

We are unsure as to whether the Tanna tribe are aware of Queen Elizabeth II's passing as of yet, or whether they know that Charles has now been appointed as King, but we can only imagine the excitement once they find out about Prince Charles' new status.

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