In 2007 a charming television documentary series called Meet the Natives was first broadcasted. The series – which is, happily, still available online – follows a group of men from the island of Tanna in Vanuatu as they visit England for the first time. The men are followers of the Prince Philip movement, a small religious sect who consider the late Duke of Edinburgh (and now his son Prince Charles) to have a divine status. Over the course of the series, the group stay with various English families, share their impressions of English culture and, at the end of their stay, are received by Prince Philip at Windsor Castle, much to their delight.
Media coverage of the Prince Philip movement often uses words such as “worship” that are not quite accurate, since they suggest a Christian style of religious practice. “Venerate” is a better term, and indeed could be used to describe our own apparently secular regard for many public figures, including members of the royal family.
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