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Vanuatu's Prince Philip worshippers say his spirit lives on

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/afp/04/12/vanuatu-yakel-village.jpg"/><figcaption>Yakel village chief Albi, and members of his family, holds a portrait of Britain&#x27;s Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in the remote Pacific village of Vanuatu on April 12, 2021 as they worshipped Prince Philip as a living god. <em>Dan McGarry, Agence France-Presse</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>YAKEL VILLAGE, Tanna, Vanuatu - The chief of a remote Pacific village which worshipped Prince Philip with religious fervor said Monday it was too early to know whether the British royal&#x27;s descendants will receive similar deification.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/04/09/21/britains-prince-philip-has-died">Britain&#x27;s Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth, dies aged 99</a></li></ul><p>Yakel village on the Vanuatu island of Tanna for decades venerated Philip, who died at Windsor Castle last week at the age of 99.</p><p>Village chief Albi said it was unclear how the religious movement would change following Philip&#x27;s death, as his spirit was believed to be adrift and seeking a new home.</p><p>While many outsiders assumed Philip&#x27;s eldest son Charles or grandsons William and Harry would succeed him in having a special place in the villagers&#x27; hearts, Albi said nothing was certain.</p><p>&quot;The spirit of Prince Philip has left his body, but it lives on -- it is too soon to say where it will reside,&quot; he told AFP.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNcVnpaHH6b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div 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style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CNcVnpaHH6b/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)</a></div></div></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script><br/>Beneath a British flag flying at half mast, Albi joined elders Monday at Yaohnanen, another village that worships Philip, for discussions on how to mark the momentous death.</p><p>Chiefs spoke in turn during painstaking discussions on what the death means for their customary belief system, with a resolution likely to be days away.</p><p>Albi had words of comfort for Queen Elizabeth II, wishing her joy because even though Philip&#x27;s body was lost, his spirit lived on.</p><p>The Yakel chiefs said they were sending a confidential message to the royal family following Philip&#x27;s passing.</p><p>The Prince Philip Movement is believed to have started in the late 1970s following a visit by the Duke of Edinburgh to Vanuatu earlier that decade.</p><p>British officials investigating the phenomenon concluded it stemmed from an age-old legend of a returning son who had pale skin. </p><p>Upon learning that Greek-born Philip was not born in England, France or the United States, they may have decided that Philip must, therefore, be from Tanna.</p><p>Anthropologists say the movement is a way for villagers on the lush volcanic island to find a spiritual connection to the outside world.</p><p>In other villages on Tanna, locals are part of the so-called John Frum Movement, a similar cult which stems from the appearance of a pale-skinned stranger in the 1930s.</p><p>Adherents to the movement, which encourages the return to traditional customs of dancing and kava-drinking, believe that a hero, &quot;John Frum&quot; will one day return, bringing with him the riches seen in the hands of American GIs during World War II -- including radios and cars.</p><div><strong>str-ns/dm/gle</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1658344" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

<p>Yakel village on the Vanuatu island of Tanna for decades venerated Prince Philip, who died at Windsor Castle last week at the age of 99.</p>

Yakel village on the Vanuatu island of Tanna for decades venerated Prince Philip, who died at Windsor Castle last week at the age of 99.