RICHARD EDEN: The real reason Harry and Meghan are so keen on getting awards, insiders reveal to me – and the ‘gentlemanly’ action I believe he must now take over his latest controversy

By William On Jul 4, 2024

When the Duke of Sussex made his first speech in 2020 after stepping down from royal duties to seek his fortune abroad, he expressed both sadness and outrage that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, had not allowed him to maintain his ties to the armed forces.

“Our hope was to continue to serve the Queen, the Commonwealth and my military associations, but without government funding,” he told guests at a charity event in west London. “Unfortunately, that was not possible.”

Prince Harry will have been further wounded, old friends say, when he watched his brother, Prince William, being appointed colonel-in-chief of the Army Air Corps by his father, King Charles, last month at a colourful ceremony in Middle Wallop, Hampshire.

In his 2020 speech, Prince Harry expressed his sadness and outrage that his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, had not allowed him to maintain his ties to the armed forces.

There is something poignant about the location, as Middle Wallop is where Harry, 39, trained before serving with the Army Air Corps as a co-pilot in Apache attack helicopters in Afghanistan.

There was a time when the younger brother could rightly have counted on receiving a commission in the Army Air Corps himself.

Because although 42-year-old William later became a helicopter pilot in the Royal Air Force search and rescue service, he has never been involved in active conflict.

However, Harry’s decision to leave royal life means he will no longer be eligible for such honorary roles.

“Harry was genuinely hurt that he was not allowed to retain his formal ties with the military,” a British friend of the prince tells me. “They meant everything to him.”

In the absence of new honours from the king, Harry has begun accepting honours in his adopted home country, the US. And the latest of these has proven controversial.

Next week, the Duke will receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Awards, a ceremony in Los Angeles hosted by ESPN, for his work with the Invictus Games Foundation. The ceremony will be hosted by Meghan’s girlfriend, tennis star Serena Williams.

The award is named in memory of a late American football star who gave up his sports career to serve in the military after the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Three years later, Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.

Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014 to help wounded, injured or sick servicemen and veterans, and has received much praise for the initiative.

However, the announcement of his Pat Tillman Prize has caused outrage in the US, with more than 50,000 people signing a petition against the prize.

Critics include Tillman’s mother, Mary, who said, “I’m shocked why they would select such a controversial and divisive person to receive the award. There are recipients who are much more fitting. There are people who work in the veteran community who are doing wonderful things to help veterans.

“These individuals do not have the money, the resources, the connections or the privileges that Prince Harry has.”

The ESPY Award is the latest honor the Duke has received since moving to California.

Among the other awards was the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award, which was presented to Harry and Meghan for their work in “advancing racial equality, social justice and mental health.”

Pat Tillman gave up his athletic career to serve in the military after the devastating terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Three years later, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan.

A US showbusiness source told me: ‘These awards are great for keeping Harry and Meghan in the news. They’re boosting their profile at a time when they’re not producing much work.

“Their agents also love prizes because that’s how they keep everyone happy.”

For now. The negative reactions to the Pat Tillman Award suggest that the American public is beginning to see this endless stream of awards and accolades as a kind of public relations strategy.

For members of the royal family on the front lines, decorations are just one part of the role. It can involve accepting a high-ranking position in a military regiment or receiving a new decoration, such as the Family Order worn by Queen Camilla at last week’s state banquet for Japan’s Emperor Naruhito.

Yet today, Harry and Meghan are free from the constraints of the monarchy, an institution they appear to despise.

Why would they want or need new awards on a regular basis?

If Harry had any honor, he would decline the Pat Tillman Award and have the event organizers instead present it to someone who values self-sacrifice and service over personal gain.