This Side of the Pond

On an island in the Pacific, surrounded by jungle, the tribespeople are in mourning. Clad in traditional garb and still linked to the cultural rituals that have always shaped their way of life, the Vanuatuans proudly decorate their wood-and-thatch huts with photographs of the Duke of Edinburgh.

I’m sure it cannot have escaped your notice that the longest serving royal consort in history was laid to rest on Saturday after a low-key service at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor. A man who didn’t much like fuss, Prince Philip apparently once asked the Queen to, “Just stick me in the back of a Land Rover and drive me to Windsor.”

He got his wish.

For those of us to whom the royal family is beloved, it was a sad day. Prince Philip almost made it to the century mark, which means the majority of Brits have never known a day on which he was not stood next to, but slightly behind, our monarch.

The memory that remains from Saturday’s events is the image of Queen Elizabeth II, clothed entirely in black, sat alone on a pew inside the chapel. A far cry from the bright colors and even brighter smile she usually sports, it was a reminder that her “strength and stay” of 73 years was gone. No matter one’s opinion of the royals, that’s a heartbreaking loss.

Prince Philip was often a controversial figure, known for saying exactly the wrong thing. For many, he was a symbol of colonialism and white supremacy. Still, whatever his faults, it cannot be denied that, just like his wife, he was the very embodiment of the concept of duty.

This was a man who served during World War II in the Royal Navy, seeing military action in the Indian Ocean and then again on the HMS Valiant during the Battle of Cape Matapan. By 1942, he was one of the youngest first lieutenants in the navy. Militarily speaking, he had a tremendous career ahead of him.

But at the same time, he was courting Princess Elizabeth, who kept a photograph of him on her dressing table. They were married in 1947 and lived their first few years as a couple in blissful peace and quiet.

Soon enough, Philip had been appointed to his own command on the HMS Magpie. He always knew the day would come when his own ambitions were put to the side, but nobody was expecting it to arrive quite so soon.

From the moment King George VI died, everything changed. He continued to serve his country, but his new role was limited to supporting his wife. To his eternal credit, that’s exactly what he did.

It’s in the role of consort that he took it upon himself to be an ambassador for the Commonwealth and champion good causes, including his own Duke of Edinburgh Award. Hundreds of thousands of kids across 144 nations have since completed the challenge, which involves “self-improvement” exercises such as volunteering, sport or fitness, developing new skills and planning an expedition.

Thanks to the Duke of Edinburgh, I know how to perform CPR and put someone in the recovery position, I’ve spent a day shadowing two local police officers (who treated me to the nail-biting experience of driving down a busy highway at over 100 mph) and I can hike for 20 miles without getting lost (but only if I’ve properly studied the map). I am not, however, any better at basketball than I was before I started.

For many of us, it was through the award program that he touched our lives most clearly, rather than through the 143 countries he visited; the 780 organizations he was patron or member of; or the 22,191 times that he appeared alone in public to recognize members of the public for their good deeds, honor the military, promote the Commonwealth or bring focus to worthy causes. This is not counting, of course, the many thousands of times he appeared in support of the Queen.

But those tribespeople in Vanuatua will remember him for something different altogether: as the reincarnation of their most revered warrior. Over the next few weeks, they will conduct rites, dances and processions to honor him as the descendant of a powerful spirit who lives on a mountain.

The tribespeople of Tanna believe their island is the origin of the world and their role is to promote peace across the planet. Prince Philip is said to fulfil an ancient prophecy of a tribesman who will leave the island to find a powerful wife overseas.

Prince Philip’s alliance with Queen Elizabeth was, to the Vanuatuans, an attempt to bring peace and respect for tradition to the rest of the world. If he was successful, he would be able to return to Tanna.

Nobody really knew where this idea came from, least of all Philip himself. Still, he treated their beliefs with respect, sending letters and accepting gifts such as a ceremonial club in return. When the tribes gathered to ask for more information about their god, the British resident commissioner presented them with photographs of him that are still treasured within the villages to this day.

According to experts, discussions have begun to appoint his successor, and the most likely candidate is his son, Prince Charles. Meanwhile, the villagers believe the Duke’s soul is now making its final journey back to Tanna, where he will reside with those who have loved him from afar all this time.

Say what you will about Prince Philip’s flaws, and I do not deny that he had them. What I choose to take from his long life of service and the legacy left behind is simply this: never underestimate the impact you might have on another person’s life.

No matter what differences separate us in culture, thought or lifestyle, and no matter whether you touch their lives for a moment or 73 years, you never quite know when you’ll be exactly the thing someone needs most.