PRINCE Harry ‘will never win another award’ after the backlash sparked by collecting his war hero gong, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex was honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPYS last night – despite a former military chief urging him to turn it down.
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Harry, wearing a dark suit and tie, was sitting next to the duchess, who was wearing a long white dress.
But his controversial acceptance of the award sparked a fierce dispute.
What’s not ideal is that Harry’s idea of service is very, very questionable
Mr Fitzwilliams
The 39-year-old received the honor for his work with Invictus Games at the star-studded party in Los Angeles.
It was hosted by wife Meghan Markle’s close friend Serena Williams at the Dolby Theatre, and Harry gave a short speech on stage.
He said: “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.
“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.”
The Duke 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.”
“The bond between mother and child is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”
PRIZE LINE
But there were already doubts about whether Harry should receive the gong.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun: “There was no doubt that Harry would accept it. The award would never be taken away.
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“But there’s the fact that 70,000 people apparently felt this shouldn’t happen.
“And that Pat Tillman’s mother, Mary, didn’t think he was the kind of person who should understand that.
“I think an award that doesn’t want controversy will think twice about giving it to either of the Sussexes in the future.”
The royal commentator highlighted the criticism fired when Harry received the Living Legends of Aviation award – as it was dubbed a “snub” to Army pilots.
Fitzwilliams also addressed the controversy following Meghan Markle’s acceptance of the 2023 Women of Vision Award.
He continued: “Harry founded Invictus Games 10 years ago.
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”.
“It’s remarkable. It helps injured and disabled men and women in both the military and veterans, and no one is casting any aspersions on it.”
But he added: “What’s not ideal is that Harry’s idea of service is very, very questionable.
“They (the Duke and Duchess of Sussex) surprised the late Queen Elizabeth by announcing they were stepping back, and this led to them stepping down as senior royals.
“This is not an adequate service.
“And when the Queen spoke about the problems of combining a half-in, half-out royal life with public service, the Sussexes said service was universal.
There are recipients who are much more suitable. There are individuals working in the veteran community who are doing incredible things to help veterans
Maria Tillman
“They seemed to think they knew more about service than the Queen.
“It was a situation that would not have led to the rupture it did if the Sussexes had not started a guerrilla war, which is what it meant.”
The expert spoke about the sensational Oprah interview, Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary, the duke’s bombshell memoir Spare and subsequent interviews.
“The problem is that if you conduct another form of warfare, a guerrilla war against the royal family that is not in the service of their commander in chief, the late Queen Elizabeth, it will be very destructive,” Fitzwilliams added.
PAT TILLMAN’S LEGACY
According to ESPN, the Pat Tillman Service Award is “given to a person with a strong connection to the sport who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman.”
Tillman’s life was tragically cut short when he was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan.
Pat’s mother, Mary, has 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.
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.
“These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privileges that Prince Harry has. I feel that these types of individuals should be recognized.”
Meanwhile, former head of the Royal Navy Lord West said Harry should think “long and hard” about his choice.
Before the event, he told The Sun: “I really think Harry should be advised to sit down and not accept awards like this.
“And when the mother of the man who died doesn’t want him to receive this award, he should think about it.”
Past Pat Tillman Award Honorees
The Buffalo Bills (2023) coaching staff after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on the field.
Retired U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans (2022) who founded Team Unbroken, an adaptive running team comprised primarily of veterans.
Marcus Rashford, Manchester United star (2021).
Healthcare professional and boxing champion Kim Clavel (2020).
Kristie Ennis, former Marine and founder of the Kristie Ennis Foundation (2019).
Navy-Marine Commendation Medal recipient, Sergeant and founder of Team Rubicon Jake Wood (2018).
Israel Del Toro, Purple Heart winner and Invictus Games gold medalist (2017).
U.S. Army Sgt. and Invictus Games gold medalist Elizabeth Marks (2016).
Former Notre Dame basketball player, Iraq War veteran, and Purple Heart recipient Danielle Green (2015).
Josh Sweeney, US Paralympic gold medal sled hockey player and Purple Heart recipient (2014).
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.”
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
