Prince Harry has paid tribute to his mother Princess Diana and their “eternal bond” as he controversially accepted the Pat Tillman Award at this year’s ESPY Awards.
The Prince’s wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watched on as Harry accepted the award, just weeks after Pat Tillman’s mother Mary, publicly condemned him as a “controversial” and “divisive figure”.
The Pat Tillman Award is awarded by sports broadcaster ESPN and given to unsung heroes, and named after former NFL player Pat Tillman, who gave up a multimillion-dollar contract to enlist in the army in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and died in Afghanistan in 2004.
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“There are recipients that are far more fitting,” Mary Tillman said. “These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections, or privilege that Prince Harry has.”
Harry was given the award for his work with the Invictus Games, the international sporting event he founded in 2014 to give injured or sick military personnel and veterans the chance to compete, similar to the Paralympics.
At the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Harry brushed off the controversy, and paid tribute to Tillman’s mother, as well as his own.
“Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect,” Harry said of Mary Tillman.
“The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”
The Prince, who served two tours of Afghanistan, also paid tribute to military personnel, adding: “This award belongs to them, not me.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined good friends, including Serena Williams and Patrick Mahomes, at the event, which was hosted by the grand slam tennis champion.
The couple received a huge cheer when they were announced by Williams, who joked she didn’t want to be overshadowed by the UK royals.
Earlier, ESPN publicly defended Prince Harry’s nomination for the award.
“While we understand not everyone will agree with all honourees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating,” the network said in a statement.