How Prince Harry Tackled Award Controversy Head On

Prince Harry did not shy away from the controversy surrounding the decision to present him with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPYS this week, paying tribute to one of the main critics of his nomination head-on in his acceptance speech.

Harry was announced in June as the recipient of the award named in honor of former NFL player Pat Tillman.

Tillman played with the Arizona Cardinals from 1998 to 2002, retiring from his football career in the wake of the September 11 attacks to enlist in the military. While serving with the U.S. Army Rangers in Afghanistan in 2004, Tillman was killed in a friendly fire incident during an enemy ambush. To mark the 10th anniversary of his death in 2014, the foundation formed in his name to provide support to veterans paired with ESPN to create the Pat Tillman Award for Service.

The award is presented to people who represent the ethos and spirit of Tillman with a connection to sports.

Harry was named the 2024 recipient of the award in the 10th anniversary year of his veterans’ sports tournament, the Invictus Games. Like Tillman, the prince served on active duty in Afghanistan, taking part in two tours as a member of the British Army.

When Harry’s selection for the award was announced, it sparked a near-instant backlash from critics and Tillman’s mother, Mary Tillman.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday in June, Tillman said that she was shocked Harry had been chosen and that she believed the recognition should have gone to someone less divisive and who doesn’t have the privileges of the royal.

“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she said.

“There are recipients that are far more fitting. There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans.

“These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognized.”

This commentary was followed by calls for Harry to turn down the honor in favor of another individual.

Former head of the British Royal Navy, Admiral Lord Alan West, said Harry should “sit back and not accept any awards.”

“He ought to think very hard and long about accepting awards for things like being an exceptional pilot and being exceptionally brave,” West told the Daily Mail. “Some of the blame must lie with ESPN. They like picking him because it gives them immense publicity. But this is rather bad publicity for Harry.

“I really think Harry should be well advised to sit back and not accept awards like this. It doesn’t travel well with people in the military. And when the mother of the man who died doesn’t want him to get this award, he should think about that.

“My advice to him is to sit back and not accept any awards at the moment. They are going his way because [he] has such a high profile, and people want to take advantage of that.”

Following this, speculation arose online as to whether Harry would turn up to the ESYPS awards ceremony in Hollywood on July 11.

The royal did and was accompanied by his wife, Meghan Markle. To the surprise of many, though, Harry did not ignore the criticism of his nomination. Instead, he addressed Mary Tillman in his acceptance speech, paying a personal tribute to her as the mother of an American hero killed in the service of his country.

“I’d like to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to everyone at the Pat Tillman Foundation, led by Marie Tillman Shenton [his widow], who I’m so honored is here tonight,” Harry said on Thursday.

“I’d also like to acknowledge The Tillman family, especially Mrs. Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother. Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect. The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”

The royal also made pains to acknowledge that he was not accepting the award as a prince but as a member of the collective Invictus Games community.

“The truth is, I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman Award recipient, but rather a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and service personnel from over 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality,” he said. “This award belongs to them, not to me.”

The prince’s deflection of the spotlight onto the Invictus Games and its support for the veterans community was well received.

Former NFL quarterback Robert Lee Griffin III was among those who took to social media to praise Harry’s speech.

“Prince Harry’s acceptance speech for the Patt Tillman Award for Service is worth 5 min of your time,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “There is no doubt that he is worthy of this award and no doubt that what he is doing is changing lives for the better.”

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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