PRINCE Harry smiled as he received his war hero award in a glitzy ceremony – despite a former military chief insisting he give it back.
The Duke of Sussex and his wife were applauded as they were introduced by close friend and host Serena Williams moments before he received the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPYS tonight.
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Harry, wearing a dark suit and tie, sat in the Dolby Theater next to the duchess, who wore a long white dress.
The pair had skipped the red carpet ahead of the event following Harry’s negative reaction to receiving the prestigious award.
The award, named after the iconic NFL player, typically goes to an anonymous veteran.
Even Pat Tillman’s mother, Mary, has previously criticized Duke, saying there are others “much better suited” to receive the gong.
Harry remained silent about the criticism during his speech, even directly thanking Mary for her work with the Pat Tillman Foundation.
“I would also like to thank the Tillman family, especially Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother – her advocacy of Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect,” he said.
“The bond between mother and child is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”
Harry, 39, received the award for his work at Invictus Games at the star-studded party in Los Angeles.
“The truth is that I am here not as a recipient of the Prince Harry Pat Tillman Award, but rather as a voice on behalf of the Invictus Game Foundation,” he told the crowd.
“And the thousands of veterans and military personnel from more than 20 countries who made the Invictus Games a reality
“This award belongs to them, not me.
“It is of great importance to me to highlight these incredible allies and their families for their achievements, their spirit and their courage at every opportunity.
“Especially on nights like this in front of people like you.”
He also thanked the awards for bringing attention to Invictus’ work.
“Moments like these help us reach the people who need Invictus most,” Harry added.
“And reduce the number of more than 20 veterans a day who take their own lives in this country alone.”
ESPYS helps raise awareness and funds for the V Foundation for Cancer Research and has raised over £1.5 million for the cause since 1993.
Former NFL safety Steve Gleason also attended to receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage.
While University of South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley took home the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.
It comes after Harry headed across the pond to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of his Invictus Games earlier this year.
The first ceremony took place in March 2014 at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.
It takes place over seven days and features more than 500 athletes competing across nine main sports – as well as additional activities and competitions, including esports.
Sporting events at the Games include wheelchair basketball, sitting volleyball, swimming, wheelchair rugby and indoor rowing.
The Duke also recently spurred new plans for a luxury Invictus Games center in Abuja, Nigeria.
It aims to provide a safe space for veterans recovering from physical and mental struggles, as reported by People.
Harry spoke about the innovative project during his trip to Nigeria with Meghan earlier this year.
However, the duke sparked a huge backlash after accepting Pat Tillman’s honor – with many claiming it would anger the military community.
Pat’s own mother, Mary, had previously criticized the Duke, saying there are others “much better suited” and with less “privilege” who could win the gong.
She said: “There are beneficiaries who are much more suitable. There are individuals working in the veteran community who are doing incredible things to help veterans.”
His comments inspired a petition to stop ESPN from presenting the award to the duke, who is also an Afghanistan veteran.
It attracted an impressive 68,000 signatories.
ESPN personality Pat McAfeee suggested that Harry was only nominated for the award to improve TV ratings.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams also previously criticized Harry’s receiving the gong as a “tragedy.”
What happened to Pat Tillman?
ESPN reported Tillman’s tragic death in 2014 as the 10th anniversary approached.
Tillman was a safety for the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals for four seasons before joining the Army.
He enlisted eight months after 3,000 people were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Tillman, a California native, turned down a $3.6 million contract offer when he enlisted in the Army.
“The events that led to one of the most infamous friendly fire deaths in U.S. military history were fraught with questions from the beginning,” ESPN reported.
“After an Army Humvee broke down in the mountains, Tillman’s platoon was split up by superiors so the Humvee could be removed; a local truck driver was hired as the transporter.
“But the two groups struggled to communicate as they traversed the steep terrain. And the second group was soon caught in a deafening ambush, taking fire as it maneuvered along a narrow, rocky canyon trail.”
A squad leader would misidentify an allied Afghan soldier positioned next to Tillman as an enemy, according to ESPN.
Soldiers would shoot at what Army Ranger Steven Elliott called “grim images,” ESPN reported.
He added that Tillman’s mother had a “right to be disturbed.”
Meanwhile, the former head of the Royal Navy, Lord West, urged Harry to refuse.
He said the father of two should think “long and hard” about accepting the gong.
Another retired military officer, Colonel Richard Kemp, said the award was just “celebrities massaging each other’s egos.”
He previously told The Sun: “He was a gunner on an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan, but so were a lot of other people.
“I can think of many people who did extraordinary things while serving in the British and American armed forces who would be far more deserving of an award like this.”
“It’s obviously because of who he is – not what he’s done. An Apache is crewed by two people – a pilot and a gunner. Harry was a scorer. He was number two on the aircraft.”
Meanwhile, historian and biographer Hugo Vickers has argued that Harry doesn’t need an award – and this is a failed attempt to reinvent himself.
Speaking on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive, Hugo told The Sun’s Royal editor Mat Wilkinson: “I think it’s a bit uncomfortable, he doesn’t need an award.
“I think what he did at the Invictus Games was brilliant and I’m happy he’s still doing things for them.
“The problem is that this is linked to this need for reinvention, for advertising, which they are always doing.
“I’m sorry I’m happy because he looks unhappy, I think he’s lost, to be honest.”
Prince Harry’s Army Career
Prince Harry joined RMAS in May 2005 to begin 44 weeks of Officer Cadet training, after passing the Regular Commissions Board (RCB), the qualification required to train at Sandhurst, in September 2004.
In January 2006, Clarence House announced that he would be joining the Blues and Royals, following which he was commissioned as an Army officer on 12 April of that year.
The Duke of Sussex served in the Army for ten years, completing two tours in Afghanistan.
The father of two rose to the rank of captain at the height of his military career, which began in 2004.
During his time in service he qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander.
In his memoir Spare, he revealed that he flew six missions during his second mission, which resulted in the “taking of human lives”, of which he was neither proud nor ashamed.
His decision to leave the Army was confirmed in March 2015.
Prince Harry ended his military career as a captain in June 2015 after being posted to the Australian Army.
General Sir Nicholas Carter, then Chief of the General Staff, said Prince Harry “achieved a lot in his 10 years as a soldier”.
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