The Sussexes could have an ulterior motive for accepting the Pat Tillman sports award after the Duke was snubbed of a prestigious army title in favour of Prince William, a top royal commentator has claimed.
SkyNews.com.au Digital Reporter Reilly Sullivan says Prince William is now being compared to his grandfather Prince Phillip over his stance with Harry as reports emerge of him banning the Sussexes.
“After Spare, after the repeated betrayals, he doesn’t want to risk it, he wants to keep them out of – not only out of the sort of Royal spotlight, but away from the events and away from the senior Royals,” he told Sky News Digital Presenter Gabriella Power.
“I think Will’s kind of concerned maybe that Charles is a little bit more open to forgiving Harry and there’s a vulnerability there I think and I think Will’s very protective of his father but he’s also protective of the Monarchy.”
The Duke of Sussex, 39, in 2020 voiced his frustration over his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth’s decision to prevent him from keeping his ties to the Armed Forces after the Sussexes stepped down from royal duties and moved to the California celebrity enclave of Montecito.
“Our hope was to continue serving the Queen, the Commonwealth, and my military associations, but without public funding,” he told guests at a charity event in west London.
“Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible”.
Prince Harry’s honour has been questioned amid suggestions the Duke has resorted to accepting US awards in a bid to boost the Sussex’s PR façade. Picture: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images for Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023
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A British friend of Prince Harry’s on Thursday told Daily Mail editor Richard Eden the rebel prince was “genuinely hurt” that he was unable to retain his military connections upon quitting royal life.
“Harry was genuinely hurt that he was not allowed to retain his formal links to the military,” the friend said.
“They meant the world to him.”
Harry suffered a further blow in May when Charles presented William, 42, the role of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps during a ceremony at the Army Aviation Centre in Hampshire, south-east England.
The Prince of Wales’ significant senior role means he now leads the army unit which his estranged brother Harry served in during his tours of Afghanistan until 2014.
The Duke of Sussex would legitimately have expected to receive the prestigious Army Air Corps role himself had he not stepped down as a senior working member of the royal family.
Author Douglas Murray addresses the “sad turn” in Prince Harry’s life since leaving the Royal Family.
“There was an awful lot he could have been a really meaningful figurehead for and, like his grandfather the late Duke of Edinburgh who set up the Duke of Edinburgh awards, that could have been the Prince Harry awards,” Mr Murray told Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi.
“He could have done so much with his life and the position he had because of the benefits of the birth he had.”
He reportedly loathed his older brother receiving his would-be role and that William then flew in an Apache helicopter for his first engagement as colonel-in-chief, given Harry was an Apache helicopter commander during his second tour of Afghanistan from 2012 and 2013.
Mr Eden claimed Harry has now turned to accepting US awards in the absence of his father’s recognition.
“In the absence of new honours from the King, Harry has taken to accepting awards in the US, his adopted homeland. And the latest of these has proved contentious,” he said.
Harry’s acceptance of the Pat Tillman award from sports network ESPN, in recognition of the NFL star who died in action while serving for the US military in 2004, has drawn considerable controversy.
The award was created in 2014 for a person with strong connections to sports who has served in a way that echoes the legacy of the US war hero.
Despite being tainted with controversy over his royal life, Harry — who served the British military for 10 years, including two tours in Afghanistan as a helicopter pilot — has been lauded for his role in launching the Invictus Games.
The Prince of Wales’ significant senior role means he now leads the army unit which his estranged brother Harry served in during his tours of Afghanistan until 2014. Picture: Alberto Pezzali, File.
A showbusiness source in the US told Mr Eden that Harry’s acceptance of the sports award was a PR boon for the Sussexes at a time when the controversial couple is producing less work.
“These awards are great for keeping Harry and Meghan in the news. They boost their profile at a time when they are not producing much work,” they said.
“Their agents love awards, too, as they keep everyone happy.”
It comes as Mr Tillman’s mother Mary Tillman hit out at the sports network for awarding Harry the honour in memory of her late son.
“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she told the Daily Mail.
The baffled mother said Harry is already famous and has received plenty of awards in his life, so ESPN should have chosen someone else who has never been in the spotlight.
There has been controversy around Prince Harry being nominated for the Pat Tillman Award in the ESPY Awards.
“The Pat Tillman Award is like a very prestigious honour, it honours a former NFL player who left the sport to go and fight in Afghanistan in 9/11 and fortunately he died in combat,” says SkyNews.com.au Digital Reporter Reilly Sullivan.
“So certainly there’s a sombre aspect to it, but it’s really given to people who do significant things in the charity world and I think that for Harry I mean he’s getting it in recognition of Invictus.
“But certainly some people have come out – Piers Morgan was one, even family members of Pat Tillman said they didn’t think it was appropriate that Harry’s getting the award.”
“Indeed, if Harry had any honour, he would turn down the Pat Tillman Award and let the event’s organisers present it, instead, to someone who puts the values of self-sacrifice and service before personal gain,” Mr Eden said.
ESPN on Tuesday doubled down on its decision to bestow the major sports award on Prince Harry and cited his work founding the Invictus Games Foundation.
“ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, is honouring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation as it celebrates its 10th year promoting healing through the power of sport for military service members and veterans around the world,” the network said in a statement provided to SkyNews.com.au.
“While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating.”
The ESPY award ceremony on July 11 will be held in the Los Angeles Dolby Theatre hosted by tennis legend and Meghan Markle’s friend Serena Williams.