Prince Harry took a bold step despite feeling ‘quite sad’ about the massive backlash to prove his point.
The Duke of Sussex, who was named the recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the 2024 ESPYs, ultimately accepted the honour on Thursday in a star-starred ceremony.
However, former royal butler Grant Harrold told The Post that Harry accepted the award to “stand up for what he believes in.”
“I thought he was going to decline it because that’s just his nature,” explained Harrold, who has known the royal personally. “But, maybe Harry has got to a point where he’s just decided he’s going to do what he wants.”
He further added that because of Harry’s military background and because of the Invictus Games, it’s something he feels really passionate about, which is why he had to accept the honour despite the backlash.
“He’s accepting the award on the behalf of military personnel, so in a weird way he probably sees it as his duty to accept it,” he continued. “That’s why I think he’s done it and maybe he’s decided to ignore the people that are trying to be negative about it.”
Last month, Pat Tillman’s mother told Daily Mail that she was “shocked” and there were “far more fitting” recipients for the award than “controversial and divisive” Prince Harry.
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