What could be stranger than worshipping an idol which may have been all about flashing? Well, worshipping Prince Philip, for one. As in, the Duke of Edinburgh, the consort to Queen Elizabeth II, the one who says racist things and everybody laughs because he's old and doesn't know better (but he really should, shouldn't he, really). Despite his rather dim view of...anybody who doesn't look exactly like the Royal Family, Prince Philip has inspired a cargo cult of his own on...the southern island of Tanna in Vanuatu. They must be jerking our chains there, right? Prince Philip and a probably-imaginary American soldier are the two main deities? At least the first makes sense, as a symbol of Western imperialism and power. Nominally Philip represents those things, but mainly he's an old man. Nonetheless, the Prince Philip Movement reckon he's a divine being and he responded in kind by sending them a signed photo, after which they sent him back a a traditional pig-killing club. How does one island manage to square all these disparate, weird cults? Don't worry: they're pretty sure that Divine Being Prince Philip is John Frum's brother...
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
