Prince Harry is reportedly still “stunned” by the backlash he’s received over being given the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPY Awards. He’s set to officially be given this honor at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Now, British royals expert Hilary Fordwich is speaking out to reveal why Harry should have graciously declined this award. She’s also explaining why this award is “exceptionally bad publicity” for Harry.
Harry’s ‘Popularity Has Plummeted’
“His refusal to turn down the Pat Tillman Award, despite suffering a furious backlash with the petition urging ESPN to reconsider its decision… tangibly shows how his popularity has plummeted,” Fordwich told Fox News.
“The latest to lash out at him is Admiral Lord Alan West, Former Royal Navy Chief and Labour peer, saying that ‘he ought to think very hard and long’ about accepting this particular award as it ‘doesn’t travel well with people in the military,’” she continued. “… He further added to ‘sit back and not accept awards like this.’”
Fordwich went on to explain that this controversy highlights Harry’s weaknesses.
“This entire debacle points to Harry’s lack of experience and understanding of the commercial sector, the… world he has chosen to operate in,” she stated. “ESPN wants to honor Harry not for what he has done, since many others have done and accomplished more, per [Tillman’s mother] Mary Tillman, but because it generates huge publicity for them whilst harming Harry with exceptionally bad publicity.”
Backlash Against Harry
Harry will be honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service for his Invictus Games work at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles tonight. Unfortunately for Harry, however, the backlash over this has been pouring in for days. Even Tillman’s own mother Mary has spoken out against the decision to give Harry the award.
“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,” she added. “I feel that those types of individuals should be recognized.”
This award is named after Tillman, who was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals. He gave up a multi-million dollar contract to serve in the U.S. military after 9/11. Tillman was later killed by friendly fire in 2004 at the age of 27. After his death, Tillman was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his service.
Related: Prince Harry May Turn Down Pat Tillman Award After Backlash – ‘Feeling Quite Sad About It’
Other Royal Expert Defends Harry
Others, however, have defended Harry.
“It’s rare that I find myself coming to Prince Harry’s defense these days, but in this instance, I have to,” Christopher Andersen, author of “The King.”
“It’s not Harry’s fault that he was offered the Pat Tillman Award,” he added. “What was he supposed to do? Turn it down? How tacky would that have been?”
That’s a fair point, contra Ms. Fordwich.
Harry served in the British Army for 10 years. This included two tours of duty in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot and a forward air controller. The royal has worked quite a bit with the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for wounded service men and women.
“Harry obviously considered it a great honor and given what he has done for wounded veterans through his Invictus Games, the Duke of Sussex certainly seemed a logical choice,” Andersen continued. “Harry is so proud of his military service and Invictus that it’s no wonder he is stunned by the backlash.”
It remains to be seen how it goes over when Harry is actually given the award tonight.
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