Prince Harry needs to do honorable thing and turn down Pat Tillman Award: expert
The prince should turn it down. Prince Harry “needs to do the honorable thing” and “just say no” to his controversial Pat Tillman Award, royal expert Richard Eden said. Eden, who is the diary editor for the Daily Mail, made the comments while speaking on the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast with fellow royal commentators Rebecca English and Charlotte Griffiths.Eden said that Prince Harry should say, “‘You know what, actually, I won’t accept this because the last thing the organizers of this event want is this kind of controversy.’”On June 27, it was announced that Prince Harry, 39, is set to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPYs.Tillman’s mother expressed her outrage at the choice.
The award was created in 2014, named after former NFL player Pat Tillman, who left the sport to serve the US military in the wake of 9/11 and was killed by friendly fire in 2004 at age 27.He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his service. The Duke of Sussex, who quit royal life in 2020, will be honored because he served in the British Armed Forces for 10 years, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot and a forward air controller.The prince also launched the Invictus Games in 2014 as multisport Paralympic-styled games for wounded or injured servicemen and veterans.“This one is for our entire service community,” Harry said after learning of the honor.The prestige award is handed out to individuals who have made significant contributions in the world, which echo the legacy of Tillman.The group of honorees including Prince Harry “have used their platforms to change the world and make it more inclusive for marginalized and suffering communities, demonstrating incredible resilience, positivity and perseverance, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them at The 2024 ESPYS,” Kate Jackson, VP of Production at ESPN, said in a statement.Tillman’s mother, Mary, slammed ESPN for h...