Australia's knighting of Prince Philip not without controversy

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott is defending his decision to make Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, an Australian knight.

"The monarchy has been an important part of Australia's life since 1788," he said. "And Prince Philip has been a great servant of Australia. He's been a great servant of all the countries of the Commonwealth. Here in this country, he's the patron of hundreds of organizations." Abbott reinstated the knights and dames division of the Order of Australia in 2014, after receiving approval from the Queen, The Associated Press reports.

In a move that angered critics, Abbott made the announcement on Monday, which happens to be Australia's national holiday. "It's a time warp where we're giving knighthoods to English royalty," Opposition Leader Bill Shorten told Fairfax Radio. "On Australia Day, we're talking about Australia, Australian identity. The government's managed to find a British royal to give a medal to, a knighthood to."

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