Prince Philip Knighthood Backlash continues for Australian PM

Australian PM Tony Abbott is facing a backlash for awarding an Australian Knighthood to the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip on Australia Day. Many Cabinet members are not happy with Abbott’s decision to award UK’s Prince Philip with Australia’s highest honor.

The Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott has awarded Australia’s highest honor to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on Australia Day this year. The decision has resulted in a Prince Philip Knighthood backlash that the PM is currently facing. 

Since awarding the honor, the Prime Minister has had to defend his decision as many people and politicians question the rationale behind it.  The Defense Minister Kevin Andrews also has defended the decision of the Prime Minister, saying that the contributions by Prince Philip have been beyond comparison and he still continues to contribute to Australian society even in his 90’s.

Prince Philip has given over six decades of community service in the Commonwealth and Australia, with such schemes as the Duke of Edinburgh’s award. Yet even though the Australian Prime Minister feels that the decision was sound, his cabinet is not in complete agreement with his decision and many supporters are not either. 

They’re not too happy about Prince Philip’s knighthood Down Under… #DukeOfHazard pic.twitter.com/hhoTKMpL2x— Stuart Fraser (@stu_fraser) January 27, 2015

Even though the MP’s are unwavering in their support of the Australian Prime Minister, they cannot help but question the rationale behind his decision and the reasoning behind his impulse of awarding such an honor to a British Royal. These questions have led to a great deal of backlash over the Prince Philip Knighthood. 

Many MPs have shown great shock at the announcement, not believing the decision and even claiming that they were not even aware that such a choice would be made.

Many Cabinet members are speaking out with anger, claiming that they were not consulted before the decision was made or announced.  Some have even broken rank, such as two Queensland coalition MPs who are openly criticizing the decision, saying that this was a political judgment that was just plain wrong.

The Prince Philip Knighthood backlash, spilled over to social media, such as Twitter and people openly stated their opposition to the decision. Many politicians as well as their supporters  are saying that the decision was not as deserving as some others, who have been far more productive and involved in Australia than the Prince. 

The Prince Philip Knighthood backlash has opened and brought into focus the fact that the PM has always held the monarchy close to him and this decision was a captain’s pick. Having nothing to do with government policy or process, it was a decision he chose to make. 

Nick Xenophon: “Giving Prince Philip a knighthood is like giving Bill Gates an abacus. What’s he going to do with it?” #jokeknighthood— Dave Donovan (@davrosz) January 27, 2015

Members of Parliament are speaking out and saying that this decision to award the Prince Philip Knighthood is creating a downward spiral. Many feel that the decision has shown the PM’s inability to understand where Australia is today and that this would lead to more issues. 

Many in the Coalition find the decision unrealistic and are still in shock that such an announcement has been made. The find the announcement to be embarrassing and feel that an Australian would have been more deserving of such an honor and that would have connected Abbot to Australians more than the current choice. 

The Prince Philip Knighthood backlash continues and many Members of Parliament (MPs) feel that Tony Abbott is vying for the backbencher support when he made this decision. Many MPs think that Abbott’s decision to award Prince Philip with the Australian Knighthood, should first have been presented to the Cabinet to avoid this backlash that Tony is facing now.