Friends of the British royal family and military sources have described Prince Harry’s decision to accept a “retail” award at a glitzy ceremony as “a clear symbol of his desperate need for attention”, “pathetic” and “sad”.
A friend of the royal family told The Daily Beast: “I’m afraid it’s just a clear symbol of his desperate need for attention. The irony of the last four years is that Harry and Meghan said they were leaving the royal family so the media would leave them alone. And now here’s Harry, literally picking up retail awards on live TV. It’s pathetic.”
The harsh reactions came after a source close to Harry’s camp said Harry had become angry at the negative reactions to Harry’s winning of the Pat Tillman Award, which was created by the mother of the late NFL star and war hero.
Harry’s office declined to comment to The Daily Beast. However, his camp was reportedly pleased with past winners of the award, such as U.S. Marine Jake Wood, who praised Harry for receiving the award.
Evidence of how divisive the issue has become is that even ESPN figurehead Pat McAfee has criticized the decision to award him the award in the first place, saying the network is trying to “piss people off.”
A source told the Telegraph that the controversy had been a ‘bitter pill to swallow’ and that ‘the backlash had certainly taken the shine off the award’.
Harry will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPY Awards, airing live Thursday, July 11 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. He is being honored for his work with the Invictus Games, which he founded to support wounded, injured and ill service members through international sporting events.
Tillman was an American football player who left a successful career with the Arizona Cardinals to join the United States Army after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 and the Pat Tillman Award for Service was established in his memory by ESPN in 2014 to honor individuals who, like Tillman, have made “notable contributions to society” and demonstrated “extraordinary fortitude and service.”
Whether or not Prince Harry meets these criteria has been the subject of much debate since it was announced that he was this year’s winner. Tillman’s mother, Mary, put her colours to the mast when she Post on Sunday: “I am shocked why they would select such a controversial and divisive person to receive the award. There are recipients who are far more fitting.”
A military source who worked with Harry in the army said: “When you get a medal in the army you don’t brag about it, so the idea of turning up at a televised awards ceremony to be honoured would be utterly embarrassing for most servicemen. It’s really sad to see Harry, who was a great man who was respected by everyone, doing this sort of thing.”
Earlier this year, Harry, who twice flew as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan, was awarded for his status as a “living legend of aviation” at a glittering ceremony in Beverly Hills, California.
“This is the space he really feels at home in, it’s something he cares about very much. The reaction definitely took the shine off the award.“
— Source close to Prince Harry
The military source said: “That was perhaps even worse. If other people want to compare him to Buzz Aldrin, that’s their business, but Harry shouldn’t be endorsing the sort of nonsense that’s being said about him by turning up at the ceremonies in his tuxedo.”
The Telegraph quoted a Sussex source as saying: “Harry’s legacy on Invictus, the things he’s achieved, that’s his real passion… This is the space he really feels at home in, it’s something he cares about deeply. The backlash certainly took the shine off the award.”
On June 29, former NFL player Pat McAfee criticized the decision on his ESPN show, saying, “We should be celebrating sports. World leaders should be celebrating sports, but doing something like this is clearly trying to anger people.” He joked that there should be a new award “for a member of the royal family who doesn’t want to be called a ‘member of the royal family’ and loves sports?”
An anonymous expert, described as a “television consultant who works for Disney and ESPN,” told the Telegraph that executives “behind closed doors” would be “thrilled” that Harry “has generated so much interest in this evening.”