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Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle are facing mounting criticism over their acceptance of award honors, with many seeing it as a blatant attempt to buy public respect. The latest controversy stems from Harry being named as the recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2022 ESPY awards.
The award, which honorsformer NFL star and army veteran Pat Tillman who died serving in Afghanistan, is meant to recognize an individual with a strong record of service and advocacy for veteran and military communities. While ESPN claimed Harry received the honor for both his military experience and work founding the Invictus Games, many see giving the award to a non-veteran as disrespectful.
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Perhaps most vocal in her criticism has been Mary Tillman, Pat's mother, who was not consulted about Harry receiving the award. In a scathing statement, she said she felt "duped" by ESPN's decision and that the award was reducing her son's profound life and death to "an extension of Prince Harry's celebrity and PR." Her opinion carries significant weight as previous Tillman award recipients were chosen with Mary's input and approval.
The fact that ESPN did not seek or consider Mary's viewpoints has caused further outrage. Many feel the decision disrespects both Pat Tillman's memory and service. As one veteran said, "Pat gave everything for his country. For ESPN to honor a non-veteran Brit over actual veterans is a slap in the face." There have even been calls for ESPN to rescind the honor or for Harry to refuse it, with over 75,000 signatures on an online petition.
Harry and Meghan have faced growing criticism previously for their apparent obsession with collecting honors and awards. While they left frontline royal duties in 2020 for more privacy, they have embarked on numerous public appearances and high-profile deals. However, some see this constant honor accumulation as a shallow attempt to buy respectability and positive press coverage.
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Kinsey Schofield, a royal commentator, said of their award grabs: "I see them accepting more trophies for awards I don't understand...They're trying to buy the public's respect. But I think people see through these tactics—it's all just award glitter and fluff." Even their charitable ventures like the Invictus Games are seen by cynics less as selfless causes and more as opportunities to collect accolades to bolster their brands.
There is also a sense that in constantly accepting honors designed for others, Harry fails to respect the true purpose and meaning behind them. For the Tillman award especially, his nomination threatens to distract and tarnish the legacy of an American war hero. As one veteran noted, "the Tillman family has never gotten justice or real respect from the US Army over his death. For ESPN to now hijack his memory like this is shameful."
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nbsp;Both Harry and Meghan's tendency to accuse critics of racism has also diminished their moral authority in the eyes of some. While they frame any negativity as unfair attacks, many see valid reasons for skepticism around their award grabs and business dealings. As royal commentator Kinsey says, "this isn't bullying or racism—people see through what they're doing."
For any public figures, but especially ones who left frontline duties partially to escape scrutiny, the need to maintain credibility in the eyes of the people is vital. By constantly accepting honors without deference for the causes or people they represent, Harry and Meghan risk more public perception of greed and shallow opportunism over substance. Their actions threaten to overshadow the very philanthropic goals they wish to promote. Only by listening to concerns and showing real understanding of the issues at hand can they hope to regain trust.
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The latest Pat Tillman award backlash has created major embarrassment for ESPN that they could have avoided with due diligence, such as consulting Mary. It also presents another opportunity for Harry to take a step back and humbly decline an honor not truly meant for him in order to respect a war hero's memory. Whether he does so may be another test of how seriously the Duke of Sussex takes his role as advocate for veterans - or of how far he's willing to go in chase of public affirmation.
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