Meghan Markle beams with pride as she and Prince Harry attend the ESPYs – where Duke will accept controversial Pat Tillman award
Meghan Markle beamed with pride as Prince Harry prepared to win a prestigious military award at the ESPY Awards.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined fellow nominees including Patrick Mahomes and Caitlin Clark at the glitzy ESPN event on Thursday night, hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams.
The royals received a huge round of applause when they were introduced by Williams, a close friend of Meghan’s, who jokingly warned them not to “overshadow” her on “my night.”
Harry will controversially accept the Pat Tillman Award, named after the iconic NFL player who gave up his lucrative career to join the military after 9/11, before being killed in Afghanistan in 2004.
The royal’s win drew criticism from some, as the award is typically given to unknown veterans. Tillman’s mother Mary told DailyMail.com last month that she was “shocked” that her son’s award would go to “such a controversial and divisive figure.”
Meghan Markle beamed with pride as Prince Harry prepared to win a prestigious military award at the ESPY Awards
Prince Harry raised eyebrows last month when he was announced as the winner of the 2024 Pat Tillman Award, a prestigious military and sporting honour
The award is named after Pat Tillman, the iconic NFL player who gave up his lucrative career to join the Army after 9/11, before being killed in Afghanistan in 2004.
A few hours before the event began, a small plane flew over Prince Harry with a mysterious message addressed to him, cryptically urging him to “investigate Mumi’s death.”
Tennis legend Serena Williams led the stars down the red carpet early Thursday night and received a warm welcome when she admitted the role was a departure from her usual talents.
“This is my night,” she joked, pointing to Harry and Meghan.
“I don’t want to be overshadowed by you two, breathing in too much oxygen.”
Williams also paid tribute to the banner year women’s sports have had in 2024 and hit out at the ESPN host for the lack of airtime in previous years.
The royal couple received huge cheers when they were introduced to the event by presenter Serena Williams, who jokingly warned them not to ‘overshadow’ her
Harry’s announcement as the winner last month drew criticism from the event’s organizers, with ESPN personality Pat McAfee suggesting that Harry was deliberately chosen as a divisive winner to boost ratings.
Mary Tillman also claimed she wasn’t even consulted about the winner, telling the Mail there were “other recipients who would be far more fitting.”
“These people don’t have the money, the resources, the connections or the privileges that Prince Harry has. I think these people need to be recognised,” she said.
ESPN quickly defended its decision to give the award to Harry following Mary’s comments, saying it had chosen the Duke of Sussex “specifically because of the work of the Invictus Games Foundation.”
“While we understand that not everyone will agree with all of the award nominees, the Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating,” the network said in a statement to the New York Post.
The award brings together the sports and military worlds and aims to recognise people who have made ‘a remarkable social contribution, extraordinary courage and service’ in both areas.
Mary Tillman, the mother of the fallen NFL star who is now a veteran, was ‘shocked’ that her son’s award would go to ‘such a controversial and divisive figure’
The Duke of Sussex completed two tours of Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot
Previous winners Jake Wood (left, 2018) and Sgt Israel Del Toro Jr (right, 2017) defended Prince Harry’s victory this year, paying tribute to his military service amid the backlash.
A few hours before the event began, a small plane flew over Prince Harry carrying a mysterious message addressed to him, cryptically urging him to ‘investigate the death of Mumis’
Previous winners of the award have come to Harry’s defense after critics lambasted his victory. The 2017 and 2018 winners, U.S. Marine Jake Wood and USAF Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr. respectively, defended the Duke.
Wood told TMZ that he considered Harry’s military record to be commendable, as the royal family had served twice in Afghanistan, the same number as he had himself.
Del Toro Jr. also mentioned Harry’s work at the Invictus Games and said he looked forward to seeing the royal family win the prize this year.
The veterans will enjoy a spectacular evening in Los Angeles, where a host of big names will gather for the sports awards ceremony.
Other nominees include Patrick Mahomes and golfer Scottie Scheffler, who are vying for the award for Best Male Athlete.
Caitlin Clark’s successful start to her WNBA career makes her the favorite to win the Outstanding Female Athlete award, along with other nominees including tennis star Coco Guaff.
Tillman won legions of fans during his three years in the NFL, where he played for the Arizona Cardinals
The NFL star’s death in 2004 caused a media storm when it was later revealed that he had been killed by friendly fire, but the military kept this secret until a month after his funeral
Tillman was already a household name in the NFL before he left the club to sign up, having played three successful years for the Arizona Cardinals.
In 2002, he gave up a three-year, $3.6 million contract extension to join the Army, and while his time in the military received as much attention as his NFL career, he earned $1.2 million, according to Bleacher Report.
He first deployed to Iraq in March 2003 and returned to the U.S. to complete Ranger training – a grueling 62-day course – before redeploying to Afghanistan in April 2004.
Tillman’s death, just weeks into his tour in Afghanistan, created a media storm. Initially, it was reported that Tillman had been killed by “enemy combatants” after his squadron was ambushed.
However, it later transpired that Tillman had run up a hill during a firefight to protect his fellow soldiers, but had actually been shot three times in the head by his own men. Tragically, it was the soldiers themselves who had done the shooting.
The military did not admit the truth until a month after Tillman’s very public funeral. Many suspect that the military did this to avoid further negative publicity, since his death occurred in the same week that the torture at Abu Ghraib prison came to light.