Prince Harry Ignoring Criticism Around ESPY Award

Tonight, Prince Harry is set to accept the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY Awards, but the big moment already has a dark cloud over it, thanks to critics like Tillman’s mother coming forward and wondering why, exactly, the Duke of Sussex would receive such an honor. The bad vibes may not be affecting Harry, however, as royal butler Grand Harrold, who worked with King Charles when he was still Prince Charles, told OK! that Harry and Meghan Markle are “drowning out the outside noise” and are accustomed to people taking issue with just about everything that they do.

“I’m sure they’ll be drowning out the outside noise by continuing with their normal and everyday life and trying not to turn on the television, or read the papers as much,” Harrold said. “They’re being talked about constantly, given their profiles.”

Earlier this week, reports stated that Harry was “stunned” at the backlash, since he has a storied military history and the Invictus Games, one of his passion projects, works to uplift veterans. During his 10 years in the British Army, Harry had two tours in Afghanistan.

“From what I remember, Harry was always an extremely private person, so I’m not sure how he’ll feel about that—but I can imagine his way of coping with the attention is to carry on as normal,” Harrold added. “He’d never want to cause any upset. If he thinks that it is going to cause upset, then it is quite likely that he could decline the award—because he’d never want to cause any upset, and it would affect him hearing about the backlash.”

After announcing that Harry was set to receive the award, ESPN noted that the Invictus Games—which celebrated its tenth anniversary this year—were “a cause worth celebrating” and “[Harry’s] tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community through the power of sport.”

“ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, is honoring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation,” a statement from the network read.

In an interview with the Daily Mail, Tillman’s mother, Mary, called the choice “divisive.” ESPN also noted that Mary has no affiliation with the Tillman Foundation.

“I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award,” she told the publication. “There are individuals working in the veteran community that are doing tremendous things to assist veterans. These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections, or privilege that Prince Harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognized.”