Prince Charles may not have the divine status of his father Prince Philip on the people of Vanuatu, but he has just been honoured during a visit to the South Pacific nation.
Wearing a grass skirt, the Prince of Wales was made a high chief in a beautiful ceremony on Saturday.
He had visited the island nation on the fourth day of his week-long tour of Australia where he opened the Commonwealth Games.
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Per the tradition of the Malvatumauri Council of Chiefs, Charles took part in a series of rituals as he was given the high chief name of Mal Menaringmanu.
He also took a sip from a cup of special kava, known as Royal Kava, before planting two trees on the island.
The drink was last consumed when his father, the Duke of Edinburgh, visited the nation in 1974.
On the Vanuatuan island of Tanna, the Duke of Edinburgh is worshipped as a god because the people there believe he descended from one of their spirit ancestors.
The tribe that worships Prince Philip — Daily Express
Greeting crowds that had gathered, Prince Charles said: “Halo yufala euriwan”, meaning “hello everybody”.
“I’m truly touched by the generous welcome shown to me today and by the very great honour you have bestowed on me in granting me the chiefly title,” he was quoted by the BBC.
He added: “Vanuatu, you are number one!”
The prince had earlier been welcomed in Port Vila by hundreds of people including the president of Vanuatu, Tallis Obed Moses.
His visit was received with so much joy from people who thought that his father’s retirement from public duty implied that they were never going to get another visit from their revered being.
