Emotional evening

Prince Harry on the verge of tears after heavy criticism

An emotional evening for Harry: the Prince was presented with the "Pat Tillman Award" in Los Angeles following fierce criticism - and was close to tears at times.(Bild: APA/AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

After being heavily criticized for his nomination, Prince Harry accepted the Pat Tillman Award in Los Angeles on Thursday. But the hostility of recent weeks did not seem to have left the 39-year-old unscathed. 

It was an emotional evening for Prince Harry. Not only did he receive a lot of criticism for his nomination for the Pat Tillman Award before the ESPY Awards 2024, which were presented in Los Angeles on Thursday evening. The 39-year-old was also on the verge of tears during the awards ceremony.

Harry on the verge of tears
The speeches of the former Pat Tillman Award recipients in particular, as well as those of Invictus Games participants Kristie Ennis, Israel Del Toro and Elizabeth Marks, visibly moved Harry so much that he not only had to struggle with his emotions, but also had to reach for the hand of his wife Meghan, who had accompanied him on this special evening.

Duchess Meghan accompanied Prince Harry to the awards ceremony in Los Angeles.(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Frazer Harrison)

Harry's four-minute acceptance speech was correspondingly moving. Among other things, he spoke on stage about the "eternal bond" between mothers and sons.

"The bond between mother and son is eternal"
"I would like to pay tribute to the Tillman family and in particular Mrs. Mary Tillman, Pat's mother," Harry said, according to Hello magazine. He added: "Their commitment to Pat's legacy is very personal and I respect it. The bond between mother and son is eternal and outlasts even the greatest losses."

In his speech, Prince Harry spoke about the "bond between mother and son" that lasts "forever".(Bild: APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Frazer Harrison)

The background: Pat Tillman, after whom the award was named, was a US football star who joined the US Army in 2001 and was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004, aged just 27. His mother had strongly criticized the decision to present Prince Harry with the award.

Criticism of Harry's honor
She explained that Harry was such a "controversial and divisive person" that she was "shocked" that the prince of all people had been chosen. An online petition was even launched demanding that the organizers withdraw the decision to honor Harry with the "Pat Tillman Award".

In his speech, the 39-year-old emphasized that he was "not standing here as Prince Harry", "but as a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and soldiers from over 20 nations who make the Invictus Games a reality". He continued: "This award belongs to them and not to me."