Prince Harry Should ‘Not Accept’ Pat Tillman Award In Person To Avoid Being Booed, Royal Expert Suggests
Prince Harry has two options on how to handle the backlash related to his recent award, according to a royal expert.
The Duke of Sussex is set to receive the Pat Tillman Award at the 2024 ESPYs this week. However, the announcement that he is this year's recipient received an intense backlash. Hence, Michael Cole, a former BBC journalist and royal commentator, weighed in on the matter and offered a piece of unsolicited advice on how he should handle the award amid the controversy.
"I would say that he should either politely decline the award because it is so controversial, or he should not accept it in person because we don't want to see him being booed," Cole said on GB News.
He acknowledged why Prince Harry deserves the award and also explained where the criticisms came from. According to Cole, it was down to how he behaved toward his family after he and his wife, Meghan Markle, decided to quit their royal duties.
"We know that Prince Harry did a great job in setting up the Invictus, meaning unconquered games after he'd seen the warrior games in America. We know that he served nobly and valiantly in Afghanistan as a commander of an Apache attack helicopter. Commendations are due there," Cole explained.
"A lot of people have been saying, where is the service of Prince Harry? He's turned against his commander-in-chief, his father. He said some very unbalanced and unkind things about the Princess of Wales and indeed his brother. So 68,000 people signed a petition for the award that should be given on Thursday night."
A petition urging ESPN to reconsider its decision to give the Pat Tillman Award to Prince Harry has already received over 70,000 signatures as of this writing, suggesting thousands are against the Duke of Sussex being honored after the late NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger. Even Tillman's mom, Mary Tillman, questioned Prince Harry's selection.
"I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award," Mary told the Daily Mail. "There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans."
The ESPY Award will be presented on Thursday at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Serena Williams will host the event.
