By Jill Fraser
MELBOURNE, Australia
As the consort of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II for more than 65 years Prince Philip is not short of titles and medals.
Now the 93-year-old Duke of Edinburgh has had a further honor heaped on him by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott – to the disbelief of many Aussies.
In a country where the republic versus monarchy debate has raged for decades, news that Abbott had bestowed an ‘Australian knighthood’ on the prince to mark Australia Day was greeted with shock.
“So TA [Tony Abbott] gave Prince Philip a knighthood, kind of like someone giving Richard Branson's wife their frequent flyer miles,” one Twitter user said, referring to the publicity-hungry Virgin Airways boss.
When Abbott reintroduced the awarding of knighthoods and damehoods into Australia’s honors system last year it was understood that they would be used to recognize “pre-eminent Australians.”
It has now come to light that the honor can also be bestowed on non-Australians, as Greek-born Prince Philip has discovered.
While making former armed forces chief Angus Houston a Knight of the Order of Australia was widely welcomed, gaffe-prone Prince Philip’s award led to Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten dubbing the decision a "time warp."
Early morning radio listeners called in to ask if it was an April Fool’s joke and social media commentators went into overdrive.
Republicans declared the move a “sign of cultural cringe” and even Abbott’s Liberal Party colleagues were quick to distance themselves.
An online poll by Fairfax Media – under the heading “It takes Australia back to the 18th century” – showed 82 percent against the decision.
Abbott – who is under pressure following a poor end to 2014, according to News Corp – has admitted responsibility for the decision.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles told The Guardian Australia: “It’s Australia Day, a time when we all get together to celebrate all the good things about being Darwinites, Alice Springites, Territorians, Australians, everything that is unique about us as a culture and as a people. And we see something like this… it makes us a bit of a joke in a range of areas and I really question the motivations in doing this.”
Pro-monarchy activist David Flint, the New South Wales head of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy, told the ninemsn news website that the knighthood was timely and deserved.
He said the prince's public persona – centered around social slip-ups such as asking an Aboriginal elder in 2002 whether "they still throw spears at each other" – should not be held against him.
Prince Philip – the son of Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark and Princess Alice of Battenberg – has dozens of titles, appointments and decorations and is even worshipped as a god by some South Pacific islanders in Vanuatu.
