Palace refuses to confirm whether Queen will bestow Australian knighthood on husband Prince Philip

Buckingham Palace has refused to confirm whether the Queen will bestow the Australian knighthood upon her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

Since the Abbott government restored knights and dames to Australia's honours system last year, the previous two Dames and a Knight were all personally `invested' in the order by the Queen.

Dame Quentin Bryce and Dame Marie Bashir received the order's insignia on separate visits to Buckingham Palace last July, while Sir Peter Cosgrove was invested at Balmoral in Scotland in August.

But Fairfax Media reported on Friday that the Palace would not discuss whether this would be the case with the controversial decision to bestow an Australian knighthood upon Prince Philip.

It said it would not give any guidance on matters of process and instead referred questions back to the Australian government.

"The Queen acts on the advice of the Australian government on any appointment to the Australian order, just as she would act on the advice of the UK government for any British Knighthoods," a Palace spokesperson told Fairfax Media.

"We would direct you to the Australian government for further guidance on your below questions."