Villagers who worship Prince Philip as a god celebrate King Charles III's coronation
Topics: King Charles III, Royal Family, News, UK News
Ali Condon
Featured Image Credit: BEN BOHANE/Getty/PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: King Charles III, Royal Family, News, UK News
It's a big day for the Royal Family and their followers as King Charles III's coronation goes ahead - but the celebrations haven't just been confined to the UK.
Far from the hustle and bustle of Buckingham Palace today (6 May), on an island in Vanuatu, a tribe of villagers, known as the Kastom people, are just as thrilled.
The Kastom people, who reside on the Tanna island of Vanuatu, are known to be particularly fond of Britain's Royal Family - with a particular devotion to the late Duke of Edinburgh.
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The group have long believed that Prince Philip was the son of a mountain spirit, and worshipped him as a god.
Their fascination stems from an ancient legend that a mountain spirit's son travelled overseas to a faraway land, where he married a powerful and rich, woman, and would eventually return home.
Beliefs that Philip was the son of this mountain spirit were only further reinforced when the late royal figure visited the Kastom people back in 1974, alongside Queen Elizabeth II, and presented the islanders with the gift of a pig.It's believed that this visit is responsible for him being placed smack bang in the middle of their prophecy.
After his visit, Prince Philip stayed in correspondence with the villagers.
Five members even travelled all the way to Windsor Castle to visit him as part of a Channel 4 series.
Ahead of Philip's son's coronation today, the Kastom people have been invited to join in on the celebrations after receiving a portrait of the new king from Britain's Acting High Commissioner Michael Watters.
While presented with the portrait, the islanders declared King Charles III as the 'son of our power'.
Today, while the world is watching the monumental coronation, Chief Johnson Iakapass said that his people would celebrate on their island with a flag-raising ceremony and dancing.
Speaking to ABC ahead of the island's coronation celebrations, he said: "It will be a big celebration; we're talking about 5,000-6,000 people gathering together to celebrate the crowning of this king."
He continued: "This person is really meaningful to the people of Tanna... you will see a lot of people believing and celebrating the crowning of the prince.
"There are a lot of activities... there will be... women and men dancing together, so it's going to be big.
"It's another thing that will bring back the history of England and Tanna and keep remembering the friendship on this island."