Tribal people on a remote South Pacific island who worship Prince Philip as a god were devastated when they finally heard of his death.
The news quickly spread around the village of Yaohnanen – part of a tropical rainforest on Tanna Island with spotty communications – after the news was broken by a Vanuatu Cultural Center employee on Saturday.
The Duke of Edinburgh died peacefully at his home in Windsor Castle, England, on Friday, at the age of 99 after a two-month illness for which he was hospitalized in February.
“People were very sad about the death of this great man,” said Jean-Pascal Wahé, the worker who had to drive four hours to the remote area and deliver the sad message. “He was a very important man to all of us and it is a great loss.”
An estimated 700 natives attribute themselves to the so-called Prince Philip Movement, believing that the Queen’s husband is descended from a mountain god who watches over their crops and well-being.
The former boisterous naval officer made quite an impression over the decades during visits to the Vanuata archipelago – of which Tanna is an island – leading these particular residents to adopt him as a kind of god.
With their idol dead, followers are expected to turn their attention to his eldest son, Prince Charles, who is first in line to the British throne.
But first, they prepare for an epic “day of mourning” on Monday to celebrate and commemorate Prince Philip.
“They’re sending messages around neighboring villages so people will hear about the plans,” Wahé told The Post exclusively. “It is still impossible to know exactly how many people will come, but we expect between 100 and 500.”
The event includes ritual wailing, traditional dance and “spiritual” food prepared by the women in the sect. The men will enjoy a famous narcotic drink known as Kava, made from a locally grown root.
Meanwhile, faded framed photos of the villagers’ idol (some of which were donated by the Duke of Edinburgh) will be featured as the British Union flag will be fluttering at half-mast.
“We will be sharing stories about Prince Philip’s life and there will be a lot of discussion about the future of the sect,” Wahé added. “But since Prince Charles is his son, he will now be worshiped.”
The cult began in the early 1970s, as did the “cargo cults” that sprang up after World War II when natives linked the delivery of goods from more technologically advanced societies to certain rituals.
Former Buckingham Palace spokesman Dickie Arbiter explained how the Duke was worshiped on a visit to Vanuatu with Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.
“One of the rowers who landed them was a guy from Tanna called Chief Jack,” Arbiter said. “He thought Philip was a warrior from long ago who had come from the mountains and left for England in search of a bride.”
“The bride is Mrs. Queen, so Philip is the god,” he said. Sadly, Prince Philip never set foot on the Isle of Tanna himself, although in 2007 he received a delegation of five men from Yaohnanen at Windsor Castle – the royal residence where he died.
But, as anthropologist Kirk Huffman pointed out to The Post, members of the cult can take some comfort in their belief that his soul will be ‘recycled’.
They also claim that while Prince Philip’s body will be buried in England, “his spirit could return to the island.”