ESPN announced, two weeks ago, that Prince Harry would receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPYs. The “backlash” came quickly. That dumbass Pat McAfee, an ESPN bro, made asinine comments about Harry within a day, then the Daily Mail published exclusive comments from Pat Tillman’s mother Mary Tillman, where she expressed her shock and dismay that the award was being given to someone so “divisive.” The British media has spent this entire time screaming and crying about how Harry should refuse the award and how he and Meghan are loathed by Americans.
What’s crazy about all of that is that the endgame was entirely predictable. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex turned up to the ESPYs last night, looking amazing. ESPN put together a fantastic video package, and four previous Pat Tillman Award recipients (all of them veterans like Harry) came out to take part in the award presentation. Harry got several standing ovations and he made an incredibly moving and gracious speech. All of this was entirely predictable, as I said – the British media and some of the American media threw a huge tantrum for two weeks, only to see their arguments get blown up in ten minutes at an awards show airing on ABC.
Fashion notes: Meghan wore a slinky white Oscar de la Renta halter gown which looks so much like her wedding-reception dress (the reception look was by Stella McCartney). She looked amazing and she looked on with such pride for her husband.
Notably, in Prince Harry’s speech, he made special mention of Mary Tillman, the woman who most likely collected a check from the Mail to criticize a veteran. He also thanked Pat Tillman’s widow, Marie Tillman Shelton, who was in the audience: “I’d like to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to everyone at the Pat Tillman Foundation, led by Marie Tillman Shenton, who I’m so honored is here tonight. I’d also like to acknowledge the Tillman family, especially Mrs. Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother. Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect. The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.” Class and grace. Checkmate.
Here’s the excellent video package ESPN put together:
Prince Harry is the recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service.
The Duke of Sussex founded The Invictus Games, an international platform that supports wounded, injured, and sick servicemen and women who are navigating both physical and invisible injuries. pic.twitter.com/M3F3Rmft4j
— ESPN (@espn) July 12, 2024
Photos courtesy of Getty.
What amazes me is that they could use this energy for good (BM and the BRF) and instead use it to take down Harry and Meghan. They have shown that all they care about is protecting the elite class (and status quo) and who cares about using energy, fame and money to improve the world, at a time it’s so desperately needed.
And the more good H&M do, the more enraged they become.
Well, Harry is part of the elite class. The British media in general is simply more concerned with coddling william and kissing his arse.
Harry has never been happy with the press, especially since they chased his mother’s car until the drunk who was driving it crashed and ended her life.
@Chloe, while he is part of the elitist class by birth (and in our eyes); he is no longer protected or seen to be part of them thus my general statement.
Until he plays by their rules he will be seen as a threat to William and the establishment – thus unprotected.
The BM is in cahoots with William who’s office ( obediently following instructions) is providing all negative info for publishing. Not just about Harry and Meghan but for a while also clearly about King Charles. Aim: making W look good, in preparation for when he takes the throne. In fact a separate Court already, tasked with all things negative about his brother and his father.. pure evil that’s William!
You are so right. They use their power for evil.
Agree. I often wonder about the logic that forces the royal family to be willing to be seen publicly as such bitter, small people. Why not be proud of what Harry has become on his own and bask in the joy and awareness he brings to a section of the world that the royal family cannot penetrate on their own? The acceptance of Harry and Megan by millions would only ADD to the stature of England. That should be a goal rather than to turn this into a personality conflict that divides and causes the rest of the world to view the royal family in disdain and embarrassment…and no one really wins.
How does the royal family expect to have power in the world view if they cannot even peacefully come to terms with each other?
So much this. Turning against an event for wounded veterans because of a family feud is…..a choice.
Because dismantling the toxic press is the thread that unravels a power structure that on some level even the royal themselves are controlled by. Harry fighting for justice is ‘bad for business’ as far as ‘They’ are concerned. Seeing how so many of them are injured/dead/have black eyes/said to be ill I’m not sure the royal have choice in the matter.
It is the jealousy of a small small man: Charles. He was jealous of Diana and now her son and daughter in law. Imagine he was a good man, never cheated on Diana, never fed her to the press. H&W wouldn’t have a broken family and Diana would never let Will destroy Harry. Look at how Camilla protects her own children. Harry would have the same protection.
How often must we remind ourselves to distinguish the fact that Harry and Meghan have never been involved in ‘family feuding.’ They have simply stood up for themselves against constant media harassment, abuse, and gaslighting attacks from the royal firm in cahoots with rota ratchets and British tabloids. They have done so with enormous courage, grace, and dignity. The left-behinds are the ones involved to the hilt in counter-productive internecine warfare amongst themselves and the manufacturing of 24/7 drama, clickbait, and hate-filled cruelty against the Sussexes.
@Hooboy, I don’t think logic enters the equation. The RF treats public goodwill and accolades as a zero-sum game. There is a fixed amount, and if you want any for yourself you must take it from someone else. The concept of creating new goodwill with action and effort just doesn’t compute.
Hooboy, everyone on here wonders that too .
None of it makes sense .
It’s basically childish and bitter and vindictive behaviour .
Just astonishing really ,
A normal father would put out a statement congratulating his son. But Charles is a petty man, and has no love for his son. Or for William. It’s all about Camilla. Always was.
@hooboy – Came here to say the same thing.
How the BRF cannot just congratulate Harry and be happy is so telling of their character.
As an aside, the video of the announcement of him being selected made me teary! Just beautiful.
Yes, the sewage that is BMs and BaRF
(with apologies to natural bodily functions)
It is so sad to see so many of the British people attitude
towards Harry and Megan because they chose love over race. The British only consider Royaly when it is all white. I don’t understand how anyone can see this as right. We must as a people not allow this race hating group to win. They are determined to try to destroy this couple so that can have a white British Royal Family. They want to deny Megan and her mixed kids that. How does anyone even allow this type of racism to continue to exist in this day and time. Their is nothing Royal about this type of hating because two people who love each other and chose not to love at their skin color and love anyway. If you are British and agree with this race hating you should be ashamed of yourself. To the World let’s put these haters out of business!
Wonderful speech by harry. Very classy. The sussexes. Harry and Meghan are great. And the veterans messages were so very moving.
ITA! And I’m so glad ESPN stuck with Harry throughout all the negativity: he knocked it out of the park. Nice to see H&M together again, too.
ESPN put out a statement to the effect that the people protesting the award were not their target audience. Which was a polite way of saying we’re giving Harry this award and if you don’t like it, we don’t give a shit.
Go Harry! Love what you stand for and hurray for espy that didn’t budge because of the uk morons. Mentioning Mrs tillman mother and have it related subtly with Diana was very smart.
Here to say I told you so about Harry not being upset because a Gold Star mother is still struggling. She lost a son; he lost his mother. He gets it. I knew he would.
Props. I do remember you saying that! And it was both classy and very moving in how he recognized her. And I’ve only read the words, haven’t seen the video yet!
@Brassy Rebel, I agree 100%
Duch: I highly recommend you have kleenex nearby when you do watch it. It’s incredibly moving!
Right??!!! He is the Definition of Genesis 50:20!
Such an epitome of class and grace. It is the perfect example of Michelle Obama’s “when they low we go high” mantra. He understood, respected and held space and grace for what could have motivated her to make that statement to the media instead making it about the statement or the pretend media outrage. And, I think he might be the first awardee to acknowledge her in their acceptance speech, so acknowledgement to her and her grief on a global stage.
Prince Harry has grown so much as a person, since 7-8 years. Each time he takes to a stage, you see his evolution – wow. His speech was so natural and inspiring, the words felt lived and of him.
I can imagine he has had to unlearn habits from his past and learn new things as well. He must have a growth mindset. I get the sense that his aim is not to mirror an idea of a person or become a version of someone from history BUT to just be the best version of himself. That is why the energy around him seems natural, organic.
Sometimes, people desire to see others fail for their own personal reasons, internal shortcomings, (or whatever has motivated the U.K. press in its desire to see him fail). So they make mountains out of mole hills to attack characters etc. However, how you meet the moment is crucial – stand tall on those same mountains and rise above it all.
I hope his Family, Family – His Uncle Spencer, His Aunt Spencers, Teej and Mike, Mr Dyer and Invictus Foundation and those who has known and loved him consistently throughout his life are proud of him. We know Meghan is , she is always beaming. Genuinely, happy for the guy and don’t even know him! They both just trigger positive energy! Well, Done “Prince Freaking Harry” and keep growing!
Wonderfully put, this almost made me cry as much as his speech.
Love your comment @Sope.
Wonderfully put @ Sope!!
Mentioning her in the speech was the epitome of class and grace. Basically, I understand why you may feel the way that you do and I’m not upset or angry about it at all and I respect all the advocacy you’ve done on your son’s behalf. Checkmate indeed. I feel like his speech, along with that fantastic video which highlighted so many other veterans and didn’t put the focus on Harry at all is going to be a game changer. Maybe I’m over selling it because I’m such a fan, but I feel like you got exposed to a totally different audience in the US last night for something that has nothing to do with the Royal family, and immediately after a huge British media meltdown. I’m sure they were plenty in the audience, as well as plenty at home who were like, this guy doesn’t deserve this? It’ll be interesting to see how the British media make that fantastic speech and a standing ovation somehow bad.
Agreed. This was an entirely new platform, and so many eyes and hearts learning about Invictus Games for the first time.
Ive seen many tweets saying they didn’t know his work with Invictus before but now they do they feel he deserved the award. And RGIII, a former NFL player who now does tv commentary and has a huge audience, praised him and tweeted the speech out and there’s been a lot of positive responses. There’s been over a million views on both RGIII’s tweet and ESPN’s tweet of the speech.
LOVE watching RGIII on tv. He’s so genuine and funny and knowledgable. Glad that he had Harry’s back – it is a great endorsement.
I know a lot of ex-players end up in broadcasting but I wanted to say that RGIII (Robert Griffin III if you want to look him up) has proven himself to be good at the job so, as Chelsea notes, he has a big following.
I’ve said it before, Harry has been making friends in the NFL and the Salty Island crew is not going to like that because the NFL is hugely influential in the US.
I think the video package was perfect because it both showed why Harry deserved the award while also highlighting Invictus itself – it wasn’t about how he started it, or how much work he puts into it, it was about the athletes and games as a whole and how impactful they are. I’ve been ranting to my husband (an avid sports news follower and sports watcher in general) about how big a deal invictus is and he is not into the royals so just kind of rolled his eyes, but last night he was like “wow” and he may have gotten a little teary eyed (I definitely did lol.)
And his speech was perfect also for the same reasons – it emphasized the competitors and the spirit of the games.
I feel like when Serena first mentioned him at the beginning of the night he looked nervous, like he wasn’t sure how he was going to be received, and when there was applause then and then the standing ovation later….it made a difference in his demeanor I think.
We’ve been saying it for years now, but here in the US, we don’t really care how messy your family situation is. What are you DOING? And harry is doing a lot and a night like last night just showed millions more how much he is doing.
Yes! The video was exactly what I had hoped for, our favorite duo looked stunning, and Harry’s speech was so perfect and heartfelt 💗
I really agree with you, the video did a great job of focusing on the mission and centering the athletes instead of focusing on Harry. He was “the big idea guy” but the participants are its heart and soul.
Yes! I loved how the ESPY Invictus video centred the veterans, not Harry. They keep the vibration high and don’t let themselves get dragged in.
And his compassion and respect for Mary Tillman were so impressive. Couldn’t be more of a contrast to King Snubby and Peg’s one-sided, whiny resentment.
The Hague IG was when I, lol, made (odd word) DH watch the Games. I’m explaining what the IG is all about. His Dad is a veteran. Never had to serve in combat. He did do other serious things along with being on the army’s basketball team with a pretty big name in basketball. The Dusseldorf games DH showed more growing interest. I said to him, “Imagine if your Dad was injured in service when you were born.”. Imagine if all those years in participating in sports and life without a physically/mentally healthy father didn’t happen. Imagine if your Dad experienced combat and was seriously injured to the extent he wanted to take his own life. My Dad is a vet, he too, didn’t see combat. His brother did and, lots of emotions.
I watched the ESPY’s recording last night. Tonight, I played it back for DH. He was in awe of the veteran’s survival, IG and Harry’s speech. Afterwards, I said, the British Media are denigrating this award to Harry-for reasons. DH’s response (who may have had watery eyes after watching the ESPY video), “That’s f&cked up. How does anyone not appreciate work that helps veterans?”. Good question.
Funnily enough I have just been reading British media, and I haven’t seen any references to Harry’s speech and his understanding of Mary Tillman. I suppose they can find nothing in it to attack him with even when taken out of context.
Yeah I think that there isn’t a big intersection between Squaddies and sports fans and the sports folks who are invested enough to watch the Espys learned something about Harry last night. And most of them really liked what they saw.
FWIW the derangers/crazy British media might not have realized that ESPN is a big dog and it’s not as easy to bully them into compliance.
“….the derangers/crazy British media might not have realized that ESPN is a big dog and it’s not as easy to bully them into compliance”.
Ooooohhhh, the BM and BRF and all their minions are learning this the hard way. They have never seen anything like this before. They thought they could just stretch and extend all their bile and venom to the US and the Sussexes would be toast. They had no idea what would hit them. And the squaddies keeping a heavy foot on those bastards’ necks is truly something to behold, I’m so here for it. I’m just waiting to read here what more meltdowns they experience, LOL.
This is a good day to be on Twitter. The number of tweets from people who had no idea about Invictus Games and are blown away is magnificent
ESPN is owned by Disney. Not quite sure what they were thinking when they even put out the suggestion that the award be rescinded. It was a “Sure, Jan. ” eye roll moment.
Harry’s speech was so moving. And to see some of the Invictus Games participants on stage and presenting this award to him was tear jerking. Happy to see how gracious he was in his remarks re Mary Tillman. Such a greatmoment.
He was class personified. It was beautiful, the video was beautiful, his speech was amazing. All of it was so well done. So happy for Harry
Everything was classy and well done, which OF COURSE it was going to be. ESPN pulls out all the stops and spends a ton of money for the best of the best production folks at the ESPYs. Harry (and Megan) absolutely shines at events like this.
It was never going to be what the British tabloids wanted it to be. It was always going to be this.
Exactly this!
Harry has a natural grace and generosity of spirit that always shines through. Veterans have such a special place in his heart and he will always be there for them.
Anyone who has seen Prince Harry speak at Invictus knows his heart is in every word he says. I’m so grateful ESPN is recognizing him for his work — all the veterans that I interviewed at Invictus (when it was in my hometown) adored him too.
In short, suck it, haters.
The whole thing was beautiful! So glad a new audience has been exposed to Invictus. I guess that’s the one good thing that came from the British medias derangement. More attention to Invictus.
Class…grace…and focused 1000% on those the award honored (the entire Invictus community, not just him). Waiting with anticipation qfor the combined comments “he didn’t mention his sick father or sister-in-law, that ungrateful POS” & “he didn’t mention Meghan…HA!!!! WHICH MEANS THEIR MARRIAGE IS OVER AND HE IS PACKING HIS BAGS TO COME BACK HOME…ALONE!!!”
The derangers are still prattling on about Meghan “buying the award” while simultaneously saying she’s nobody without Harry. So which is it? Oh, they are so bitter they are choking on their own lies.
They’re also now insisting that the Royal Foundation founded Invictus, not Harry. I mean….he founded it through the RF as was made clear in Spare…..? He didn’t even tell william before he got the board’s approval.
That’s an asinine argument. If someone tried to claim that Kate “founded the Aarly Years Initiative”* through the royal foundation to make it seem as if this was a negative thing and not the normal way things work, her fans would go batsh!t on the defensive.
*obviously the EY thing is nonsense and Invictus is worthy, but just pointing out that anything any of them did while working royals would technically fall under the umbrella of their foundation, but that doesn’t mean Harry wasn’t the driving force behind it. And he’s continued to run the show years after leaving the BRF; clearly it no longer has any ties whatsoever to the RF.
It shows what a remarkable person Harry is, still giving respect to someone who trashed his name for money. Let’s be clear, she could go to any mainstream American media and they would listen to her complaints. She chose DM because they pay. The tabloids paid a lot of people to tell lies about H&M and they will continue to do that.
I hoped he would also announce the location of next Invictus games. Do you think they are waiting for the result of American elections to decide on it?
This is so true of H&M. Despite the harassment from some family and foes they have always taken the high road. One day the rest of the world ( those brainwashed by tabloids and BM) will see THIS version of them. That’s my hope.
No I think the announcement is sometime this month?
I’m. Really glad he didn’t mostly because that’s the invictus group to do on their own. It would have been shoehorning it in.
I don’t think they’re waiting and I don’t think they can delay the decision until November. I do wonder whether London under a Labor government might be safer than DC under a Trump administration.
Very good point.
Rnot, do you think having a Labor government will allow Harry the security he needs? I don’t either.
Harry with the grace. Meghan with the glow. A gorgeous and gracious couple. ❤️
Harry struck the perfect note. Checkmate, indeed. At a certain point, the toxic British media is going to have to recognize that every single time they attempt to bring down the Sussexes, it blows up in their faces spectacularly.
They are too earnest, you can never make me hate them.
I think they do know that. The problem is that they don’t know what to do. Remember, this is a press that still wants access but they keep attacking. They know the royals need Harry and Meghan and how the press/family have lost but hubris is a powerful tool. They don’t realize they’ve canceled themselves out.
I think they DO know that and it drives them nuts!
They will still find fault with something,,but his speech was perfect and he was warmly received by everyone .
Meghan is looking so tiny .and Audrey Hepburn like and she adores her man .
Americans possibly thinking how. good would this man be as a leader of people.
His speech was so moving and gracious. One thing that’s obvious is ‘I’ doesn’t occur much unless it’s in gratitude. Compared to you-know-who. Meghan looked incredible! How does she become even MORE luminous every year. I wanted to see her in a white/ish halter neck dress and that’s what we got! We know she likes her neutrals.
Congratulations to Harry and the invictus family.
BTW interesting, their security guy seemed to be sitting directly behind (pretty sure it was). I wonder if there was a threat?
It would have been more of a surprise if they didn’t have security behind them. Noticed Alexis was positioned behind and to the right of Prince Harry and at some point Venus sat to his right. Serena made sure only people she trusted surrounded them💕💞
Yes it was interesting.. Their security isn’t normally behind them at things like this. They’re normally around but not right there.
This was so beautifully done. Harry and his team are smart and realized this was a great opportunity to highlight the work of Invictus to garner even more support for it and to let the veterans watching know that there can be a light at the end of the tunnel and Invictus could help(the Invictus twitter page actually put out a tweet about how veterans can join the community). The package that the team at ESPN put together was brilliant and Harry’s speech was just pure class. It really tugged at my heart to see how emotional he got when the 3 competitors spoke of what he and Invictus meant to them and I love that he asked them to stay on stage with him. Diana really did raise a remarkable young man. I know she’d be so proud of the way he leads with his heart first.
Countdown to Mary Tillman coming out and saying her words were “taken out of context” 🙄 I’m glad he said what he said. He is not going to criticize the mother of a veteran.
That would likely be a breach of her contract with the Fail.
I just love him so much. 😭😭😭
Congrats Harry! But something that will always puzzle me is how the British press have screwed themselves over and over again because nothing they’ve done has worked. They literally picked the wrong horse, made enemies out of their cash cows, are losing money, redundancies, royal reporting has gone downhill, people are going to YouTube and journalists are literally losing their sanity over a couple saying no to the BS. They have to embiggen a royal family that is either getting sick or boring and you can tell they’re over it. But instead of reflecting, they keep doubling down and getting in their own way. They’ll never get close to Meghan and the kids and Harry is not going back. Everyone knows the tabloids are trash especially the British ones. It’s a losing battle at this point and it feels like they’re defeated but won’t admit it.
The big problem in Britain is that a lot of people believe them.
I don’t think so at all, don’t get me wrong a lot of people read the tabloids, I read it but Fleet street is definitly losing their power over the masses. They couldn’t even help the Tories win more seats 🙄🙄
Harry went high.
He’s a much better person than me.
The presentation video made me cry. These people are so strong. While we witnessed a few days of Invictus in Düsseldorf, seeing these close-ups in the montage is a different kind of punch.
I am so happy that so many more people got exposed to what Invictus is and means for injured veterans and people who are still serving.
Harry and Meghan looked great, and I am looking forward to Vancouver/ Whistler in February. Less than 7 months to go.
Prince Harry’s speech had tears in my eyes last night, and again this morning.. absolutely brilliant speech. He is just an amazing person and it’s about time people start acknowledging that. Prince Harry is so far above the hate slinging 💩, he is leaving all those haters to wallow in the 💩 all by themselves. I expected his speech to be good but he just blew me away and I’m just so happy for him, and his family. (That includes his Invictus Family).
H was amazing! Wherever H&M show up, they just shine so brightly.
When I think W gave a speech about bs yesterday and you compare him to his brother, it is night and day! Harry is in a class of his own.
Charles got lucky given the spares of his era were so mediocre (Andrew) or invisible (Anne) or a nonentity/ignored (Edward); yet he blew it by his appalling treatment of Princess Diana.
W hasn’t been so lucky; Harry clearly outshines him; Harry has in spade what W clearly lacks which is charisma, charm, grace and class. H also married the right woman; one of the things I learned from H&M, it is important to marry someone who helps you improve. Look at Harry now versus a few years ago, it is amazing! W went with a woman so mediocre that she is useless to his growth.
Hopefully the next one won’t make the same mistake his father, W, did. Marry a woman who can help you develop and become your best self.
Huge congratulations to Harry!
Meghan is one of the most beautiful women in the world. She is so stunning my god!
Anne doesn’t get a lot of mentions but she is the hardest working of the royal family in Britain. She justs quietly gets on with it.
Oh please, Anne is not hard working at all. These people are all scroungers that pretend to be working. What exactly does afro Anne do that makes her the “hardest working royal”?
Anne gets on with the work because she does not want any accusations from the public that she does not earn her civil list money. She does work hard but appears to be doing it in a robotic way that suggests she wants to do it as quickly as possible and be over and done with it. I get the feeling she feels she is doing her duty but would really prefer not to have to interact with the public.
What is the “it” she gets on with? Is “it” truly worthwhile? Judging by the general lack of interest in her work, the answer is probably: no.
Small note on the fashion: i thought Meghans dress was from Staud 🤔
https://staud.clothing/products/giuseppe-dress-sun-faded-daisy
What Meghan Wore said the details weren’t quite a match.. People mag had Oscar de la renta
I think Meghan looks on the thin side. I hope she is not overworking with all these projects plus looking after the kiddies.
I agree. I prefer her with a bit more weight, and her face a bit rounder. But if I had my name on social media every day with bots and the toxic media bashing me, I’d probably lose my appetite too.
I loved what the ESPN Social Media Sr Director tweeted:
“If you see anyone on your timeline complaining about Prince Harry winning the Pat Tillman Award, just know there’s zero chance they’ve actually watched this feature or tonight’s speech or know anything about the Invictus Games.
But being ill-informed and angry online is so edgy!”
https://x.com/EditorEdge/status/1811578884984385893
That’s brilliant, call out the nonsense and troublemakers.
That video had me in tears, like so many others. Well-deserved, Harry. I hope IG lasts forever.
Thanks for posting this.
Harry is just such a star. He’s wonderful on television. Humble, handsome, and authentic.
Congrats Prince Harry . Prince Harry was very gracious towards mother of Pat Tilman. But it would not be out of place for us to call her out on this.
Was she naive or as she got some beef against her DIL and the Foundation to publicly questioned their selection . Also her son has an award named after him due to his fame as a football star. Many other fallen soldiers did not have such an honor.To insist that the award should be given only to unsung heroes and not to Prince Harry for his outstanding work for Invictus Games is discriminatory .
Submitted by me , Noor. I forgot to type my name
I would like to believe that she was misinformed by the DMail who contacted her rather than she contacting them, I would expect that if it had originally came from her that it would have been to an American newspaper rather than an exclusive deal with a British, I hesitate to call it a newspaper.
Incredibly moving and powerful, both the video and Harry’s speech. I think a lot of people underestimate the impact invictus has had and will continue to have on thousands of lives. Hopefully this award and acceptance will drive their message forward.
The British Media needs to keep Prince Harry’s good name out of their filthy mouths. It’s disgusting that they consent to trashing a real serviceman to make TOB seem better, and twist themselves into knots to portray William’s incandescent rage as “animated energy,” his weird flailings as “dad dancing,” his drunken swaying as “emotional exhaustion” — on and on. Thank God Harry escaped to a place where he can do what he was born to do, help others.
It’s comes off sometimes like the press is angry at the Sussexes for leaving them with William because they know he’s a lazy, bland and uncharismatic man. They all know it.
He’s not just lazy and bland, he helped and is still helping to orchestrate the media’s attacks on Harry and Meghan, and endanger both their lives. He’s a psycho creep.
I can’t believe they are even the same species. W and K are about as charismatic as a pair of cockroaches .
This
Harry is also incandescent, but in the way that means “luminous” and “brilliant.”
Found it amusing that he mentioned “division” in his speech, with mention of real situations.
Yes, a slight shout out to the toxic British media, to Mary Tillman’s foolish words, and maybe even the state of politics in this country.
The video package was incredibly moving, I cried. IG is something really special and I’m glad Harry and the org got the spotlight last night. Harry’s speech was also fantastic
I was so moved by the presentation, started tearing up immediately. It really centered veterans and how impactful Invictus truly is. I loved the family from England. That woman is a hero in so many ways. What a waste the hate is and still the purpose and love thrives. Ten years! Here’s to many more and love continuing to win. 🏆❤️❤️🩹
That’s the same family that spoke at the 10 year anniversary celebration, right?
Yes. What a beautiful family and so supportive of each other. The games save lives.
oh man, when she talked about finishing the swimming competition last but she heard the cheers until the end and knew they were for her…..chills. And the fact that that was her daughter’s favorite moment from the games…more chills.
Yes, I should have said her name, Michelle Turner for the win. Her daughter and husband also winners. When she talks about his encouragement and that they were losing her. 🥺
I agree with everyone – he did a beautiful job with his speech. It was sincere and warm and respectful. I wonder if they will quietly invite Mary Tillman to join them for the next games? I’d love to see her go and change her mind about what she said.
For Mrs. Tillman’s sake, I hope that happens. I imagine that being surrounded by so much love from IG and the athletes, seeing the unity and support they have for each other, and seeing the love and respect Harry has for each and every one of the athletes as well as for her would do her heart a lot of good.
I can’t imagine what it is like to lose a child, in any way, but I can imagine the pain is life long especially if you are not able to find a purpose to keep you going. I wish Mrs. Tillman all the best and I hope she finds a measure of peace that sustains her as she moves through this life without the child she lost.
Harry’s such a classy guy. Well deserved award.
If anyone from BP, KP or the Middleton households are reading these comments then SHAME ON YOU! This man and his wife wanted nothing more than to serve this country and make us proud to want to help others. Instead you ALL went out of your way to make their lives a misery with your lies and misinformation. Now that they’re being recognised for all their hard work you’re still trying to put them down. Why? You have the power to use your standing for good (Prince’s Trust, Duke of Edinburgh Award) and yet you choose to go out of your way to malign and smear a charity which is recognised globally as an instrument for good. Isn’t it time KP, BP and the Middleton households stopped embarrassing themselves (and the UK) and got on with the work the British taxpayers actually pay them for and leave H&M to live their lives in peace?
CONGRATULATIONS to PRINCE HARRY and THE INVICTUS FOUNDATION.
So say we all!
Well said.
Co-sign 1000%!
Thank you Laura D.!
Love all the ESPN posts of Prince Harry’s accomplishments and speech, there has been a steady stream of support happening. This is going to get a huge audience, Invictus Games, the founder and athletics deserve the respect and recognition that the British tabloid media and Royal propaganda rota tried to ruin/tarnish. Would love to see professional sports leagues worldwide support the Invictus Games, what a beautiful thing Prince Harry has created.
I’ll admit that I cried like a baby through both the feature and the speech. Congrats to Invictus and Harry – they deserve all the awards and recognition.
It’s so interesting to me that H&M present as the complete opposite of how they’re depicted in the press.
Eurydice, I was right there with you. The three presenters (and I was glad to see Jake Wood a part of that, too, off stage) with their own comments, the video and then Harry’s speech. Geez!
Then the Jimmy v award–man, I looked for the kleenex box.
Congrats Prince Harry, ever graceful . i loved his speech Meghan looked amazing in her dress. I hope this means bigger things for IG and i’m keeping my fingers crossed Washington DC wins the next one
Harry’s speech had me tearing up and then I watched the ESPN media package for Invictus and now I’m straight up happy crying. The clips of the veterans swimming and she said the whole crowd was cheering for her coming in last but it didn’t matter? THAT is what Invictus is about. The parents who suffered incredible injuries serving their country and who tear up because *now* they think their kids are proud of them? MY HEART.
Mary Tillman needs to use today for introspective reflection because, while no doubt Harry was paying tribute to her son and his legacy, the rest of us watching remember that Harry, too, knows all too well about the bond between mother and son lasting longer than “the greatest losses.”
It was truly masterful, the way Harry wove Diana’s memory into his speech.
Harry showed so much class. Mary Tillman should feel as small as an ant. His whole speech made me cry
Between ESPN’s video and Harry’s speech, I’m a weeping mess. The fact that the BM and the RF continue to try to find ways to destroy this man, his family, and his work makes me so enraged. This award is so well-deserved. May Harry and Meghan, their little family, and all their efforts continue to prosper.
Harry has managed to rise above the attacks and abuse and change the world with the influence he so humbly wields. That is the true definition of service above self.
And that’s what drives his dysfunctional family and the British press crazy. They’ll never understand that kind of good.
I hope Diana is proud.
Well said
It’s too bad that Willie doesn’t have the same or similar commitment to ending homelessness or anything else, really.
If he did, he and Harry would make their Momma so proud.
This is lovely!
Congratulations to Harry and the Invictus Foundation ❤️❤️❤️❤️🙌🙌🙌🙌
Ha I’ve never watched the ESPYs but I was watching last night! Harry and I share birthdays and I feel a kinship and support him with a smile.
I loved his strong and well delivered speech.
I loved the whole tribute to Invictus. It was so moving how truly beneficial it is. Veterans mental health and Well Being is a true challenge. I applaud Harry for his idea and his commitment to his FELLOW VETERANS. ( unlike some who don uniforms and medals they’ve not earned).
Meghan looked so glowing and proud. Lovely to see.
Well done, Sussexes!! Thank you.
Harry’s brilliant speech and the video made me teary eyed.
Meghan’s beauty is just breathtaking.
Why did they edit Meghan’s arms in the sitting picture to make her look skeletal thin? She’s strong and healthy in the standing picture with Serena, but in the one the other one she looks anorexic. Which we all know she is not.
I don’t think it is edited, it is Getty image. Probably it is the angle.
Yeah, I was wondering why there weren’t any comments about this yet, because IMO she looked alarmingly thin. And before people pile on, please keep in mind that if that was a picture of Kate, absolutely everyone here would be talking about how gaunt she looked or whatever.
Meghan looked beautiful, as always. But scary thin IMO.
I mean, her face isn’t gaunt. When you lose weight too much and too fast, you get that gaunt look on your face, she doesn’t have that. She had two babies and lost one. Her body went through a lot. I always thought she looked very beautiful with baby weight, but if you have an active life style and eat healthy, you can easily look like her. She doesn’t look unhealthily thin to me.
There were numerous pictures of Meghan from this occasion, none of which showed her being anything other than her usual pics show, well except for this one pic. Why pick this particular one and start going places? And when people mention Kate and her skeletal size, they’re not analyzing one single picture out of a bunch, they’re analyzing multiple pictures from one single event.
Meghan was tiny when she and Harry started dating. We’ve gotten used to seeing her over the past few years as she had children. I’ve always respected that Meghan never rushed to drop any baby weight and just showed up looking stylish in clothes at different sizes. So yeah, her body is pretty comparable to the weight she was at when she met Harry if you look back at photos from that time period.
So proud of Harry, standing up to the bullies and cheap shots. Well done! 🏆
God their births were in the wrong order. He would have made an amazing King for England. And an inspiration for the people. If things were different.
What a heart of a lion this man has as with Meghan.
I’m not crying, you’re crying!
The United Staes is pleased to have him as ours now. We will cherish him.
Prince Harry dodged a bullet for having been born at the right time and the right order in that family, given that he had no choice in the matter. And we, his supporters, are eternally grateful.
Kingston, yes, he did dodge a bullet. I honestly can’t imagine knowing what you will have to do the rest of your life from the moment you’re born, and you have no say in the matter.
Isn’t that the truth! The really surprising part is that Harry is the first to do it. The bloom is truly off the monarchy rose, what a miserable existence.
I am happy he is ours now in the US and to be clear I was speaking in an imaginary, hypothetical if it was a perfect world scenario.
Not how it is today for BRF.
Just love seeing Harry being the man he’s been and wants to be outside of the confines of the Firm. ESPN’s clapbacks have been awesome.
Go Harry, Go Harry ❤❤ CONGRATULATIONS AND GREAT SPEECH 🎈🎈🎈
I’m so happy for Harry and Meghan. Dealing with constant attacks and still coming out shining. They are an incredible example to so many all over the world.
I imagine Mary Tillman is regretting her words by now. Harry treated her with the kind of respect and graciousness she doesn’t deserve. He smoothed over a potentially tetchy situation with his usual compassion and aplomb, and came out the well-deserved winner of the award and of everyone’s admiration. Mary and that bonehead MacAfee can stick it.
Harry probably feels sympathy for Mary Tillman because he knows better than anyone how the Fail and their ilk can elicit the responses they want for headlines out of their targets, Thomas Markle comes to mind. (Yes, he’s pure trash who sold-out his daughter, but the Mail did sic some female reporter on him who manipulated his vanities and grievances and brought out his very worst side, irrevocably.)
Yes, my take watching it was she’s a mother who lost her son and can say what she wants as she works to honor her son and deal with the grief. He understands and respects that, again were my thoughts.
Agree @Agnes. We don’t know how that whole thing with Mary Tillman and the Fail went down. MT’s decision to find out the truth about her son’s death was considered divisive and controversial with the administration at the time. They then ghosted her. After using her son for propaganda. Don’t know what all went down in the current situation. If I lay guilt to anyone, it’s the Fail. They don’t represent the truth. If she said what she’s claimed to have said, hope she reconsiders her words.
Harry isn’t divisive/controversial in the military community. He 100% supports them and veterans. Obviously. There is some very unclean waters happening here and it smells like it’s coming from the Thames.
I still think she was gross and awful about the whole thing. She’s MAGA anyway. I just roll my eyes at giving Gold Star Moms and Dads respect. Some of them (parents) are terrible freaking people.
@Jaded, I hope so! He was so gracious to her despite her petty comments.
I forgot to tape the program and all the clips of Harry’s speech seem to leave out the introduction by the Invictus competitors. Does anyone have a link to the whole segment? I echo everyone -Harry’s speech was pitch-perfect- gracious, moving, and advocated for IG in the most powerful way.
tamsin, I noticed that, too. We can hope that ESPN will put it on youtube or their website.
I recorded it and it was warm, wonderful and heartwarmingly uplifting. Might be wrong-looked at ESPN’s site and searched the ESPY’s. May have misinterpreted what I read, it seems a video of the whole program might be available on their site starting at 3am tomorrow(7/13). The previous IG affiliated winner’s words are worth hearing. There was love amongst Harry and them.
Harry just always seems to know how to strike the right note. His speech was wonderful. And Meghan looked gorgeous.
Definitely Meghan looked gorgeous.
The sounds you hear are incandescent rage from KP, grumbling from the BM, Pat McAfee munching on crow and possibly a sigh of regret from Mary Tillman.
Amazing, start to finish. So incredibly moving to hear from these servicemembers about their darkest moments, about the hope they feel now. Not to mention the hype I feel toward Invictus after seeing these athletes doing their thing! Harry’s speech was good too lol. He very artfully yielded the focus to the community and the foundation, even though he is the face of it all.
Lovely heartfelt speech which shows his dedication to his work.
I’m really hoping that D.C. wins the Invictus Games bid, because I think it will amplify what Invictus is about, particularly for the US and help a wider audience see what H&M are for. Holding Invictus in the UK would be a step backwards, especially, for Invictus.
Holding Invictus in the US would help more people understand why H was given, and deserves, this award
It would be an acute embarrassment for us if neither the CIC of the armed forces or his heir turned up, thus, in the language of the tabloids, snubbed their own wounded servicemen and women.
Wonderful all around. That glow on Megan – that’s the look of a happy woman who is well loved in her life.
I think we all agree that KP and the BM have truly failed to read the room regarding Harry. He brings a positive focus to everything he is involved in. I would think that the British political powers would look at Harry and wish Peg and the poisonous media would just shut it!
And once again this would be an appropriate time for Charles or William to speak out about how proud they are of what Harry has accomplished with Invictus. They won’t. Of course.
I reaelly hope the IG are in Washington D.C. in 2027 and that it gets ESPN and other network coverage. This is a VERY good start after ABC was with Harry at the one year mark in Canada earlier this year. We can hope!
I don’t normally watch The Espys but I did watch some of it last night. Both the video package and Harry’s acceptance speech were service, grace, and class.
It never ceases to amaze me what an incredible speaker Prince Harry is. And who writes his speeches?? They’re always so thoughtful and graceful, and at times, v funny. He always hits the right tone. And Kaiser, thank you for always exposing the BS for what it is. You’re such a powerful ally. Words are powerful!!
Well said! And we are lucky to have Kaiser’s incisive commentary.
That is a beautiful video. I don’t think I had fully understood what the Invictus Games mean to the participants. Tears came to my eyes. So glad that this program is bringing joy to so many disabled vets, even at such a bleak time in their lives.
I teared up watching this. As I posted previously, a friend of mine has competed in the IG and had nothing but praise for Harry and the whole organization. I come from a very large military and truly appreciate these games and what they mean to those who participate. Thank you to the IG Foundation for what you do.
The ESPN video brought tears to my eyes, and Harry making his speech about Invictus rather than himself (William would never!) is very gracious.
King Henry and Queen Meghan forever. As an American I embrace them for what and who they are–the titles are incidental. Good people are good people, with or without a title. I’m so glad they are on American soil with their beautiful kids. Eat dirt, Willburt.
He is such a class act.
Thank you so much Celebitchy for providing the ESPN video package. My Dish Network receiver must have gotten damaged during house repairs, so I only watched Serena’s opening comments and Harry’s acceptance speech on YouTube. Only found the ESPN Invictus video here.
I checked out ESPN’s posting of just Harry’s speech several hours after it was up last night. It was being FLOODED with negative comments, with a handful of regurgitated manufactured outrage talking points. At first I thought it was those same dozens of deranged royalists staying up all night to spew (and they were definitely there). But as I watched I saw in real time either the same message pop in with a different profile, or the same profile post again within seconds. It was WILD. Obviously someone employed a bot farm to attack Harry. I wouldn’t put it past derangers but I also don’t rule out KP and/or BP. They are so THREATENED by Harry’s success and the regard normal public has for him and Meghan. I know in their documentary they showed the concerted online attacks against them but it was mind boggling to see it in action. So toxic. This is the Crown’s brand now. Toxicity. I felt such compassion for Harry and Meghan (or ANYone) being targeted like that. Should be criminal.
When they were giving more details about their expenses, I remember KP had a big line for IT expenses. I am sure, KP spends a lot of money on bot farms, both to get positive engagements for themselves and negative ones for H&M. Even NYT wrote an article about KP buying followers on Instagram in order to have more followers than Sussexes.
@Carol I think you’re right. This isnt real. Hopefully Chris Bouzy is on that crap! I agree that someone or some-palace could absolutely be behind a bot or comment farm. Wonder if it’s even a paid Russian bot or comment form and that KP has some Putiny Russian ties. Or maybe KP is paying the mean girl Karen’s to do this again…or maybe even…in Olaf’s voice, “Samantha?”
I kept thinking of Bouzy as I watched this happen… I mean, I guess it could be the tabloids he’s suing too, behind it, come to think.of it. But this was definitely a planned assault on Harry’s character.
I’m late to the comment game (US West coast), but it never ceases to surprise me how insidious and widespread the misinformation about Harry and Meghan is. When Harry went on stage, my husband said, “Wow, she let him have it.” I asked WTF he meant … he actually thought Meghan was going to go on stage with Harry to steal focus. We watched Heart of Invictus and the H&M doc, and he STILL said that ignorant crap. Friends, my language got a bit, shall I say, salty.
Men are taught to blame women by default for anything and everything. It is baked into their brains from a very young age. It is why women are raped and / or killed and their perpetrators get away with it. Men either consciously or unconsciously collude with the patriarchal system. “Oh, well, you know how women can be crazy or controlling” they say, absolving men of any responsibility. The epidemic of violent crimes against women lay at the feet of so many men – first responders, detectives, doctors, coroners, neighbor, friends and sometimes even family members – who don’t want to get involved or don’t want to believe the evidence or the victim. It does not serve the patriarchy to admit the obvious imbalance of power between men and women. Meghan will always be viewed as “controlling” because it not only serves the BRF but also your average Joe despite all the evidence to the contrary.
Those fake stories about Meghan being dominating are cringeworthy.
Absolutely correct about men blaming women!!!!!
Just remembered how my alcoholic and poor student brother blamed me for his problems in school. I was such a good student, he could not complete so he just gave up studying, supposedly. And a lot of people in my extended family believed it!!!
I hope you let him have it! 😄
@Wally, what did he say when you said ‘WTF’ or asked him why he had that particular opinion?
Asking because my husband has never had an opinion like that about Meghan. Initially, he hated how an American was being treated poorly in the UK. After watching the H&M docuseries and seeing all the racist headlines, he was shocked and concluded, there is maliciousness in the BM/BRF.
Such a moving speech and amazing montage. Harry definitely deserves this award and so glad it’s shone such a positive spotlight on Invictus and schooled the naysayers. Meghan looked great and nice to see her with Serena again. Such a good night!
The one thing that stood out to me; Harry meant every word in that speech. I cried. Meghan looked fabulous as usual.
Well done Harry. Great speech as usual. We love you.
A gracious and moving speech that followed a moving video of how IG saves lives. I cried through most of it and felt so proud of everyone who takes part in IG.
BRAVO!! Harry’s speech was utterly perfect, and I am delighted that his work was showcased nationally. Not only does he help veterans, but their families. Imagine how many lives he is touching, for the better! The vitriol he and Meghan have faced, and still face, is breathtakingly horrific. The fact that they THRIVE in the face of negativity, ugly racism and unending harassment is fantastic to see and we are all better for it. Get a life, haters. Try to do some good and STFU, please.
Yes, it’s an American award.
Yes, he is royalty and WE HAVE NO KINGS HERE.
But… he really does deserve it. He has been yelling abd screamung about Vet health for years. He has made talking about it palpable by tackling it in different ways. There are also multiple wars going on right now. One reason people are avoiding the military, like the plague, is Vet mental health isn’t respected. So many usa veterans are treated terribly. They can point to Harry’s works when trying to explain.
After watching both and crying, I sent the video and speech to my mom. She loved Diana and has read Spare. She thanked me for sharing and said the IG video was “powerful and breathtaking” (she didn’t really know much about IG or Harry getting this award) and texted me this about his speech which says it all in terms of the BRF:
“Beautiful speech. He showed more empathy and emotion in this one speech than all of the British royalty could muster in a lifetime.”
She’s really not wrong.
A class act.
“The BM has spent this entire time screaming and crying..and how he and Meghan are loathed by Americans.”
Exactly! As predicted, Majority of Americans didn’t GAF what the BM across the pond thinks. It’s an American award on an American tv show, and as you know Americans don’t like to be told. Also the tv ratings are the highest since 2019 -which again, as predicted,is waaay more people watching the awards show vs those who signed that pathetic petition.
Prob another heart attack from the BM and BRF as Hs speech has been positively trending, not to mention a lot of sports fans and even more veterans – who doesn’t even follow any of the royal drama – have now become fans of H.
Not one mention on UK TV or UK newspapers. Running so scared they have to hire a plane to fly overhead the awards with a weird message……..who is listening anymore except the totally deranged?
Roll on the ITV special on the phone hacking scandal with Prince Harry, Hugh Grant and Charlotte Church interviewed.
Amanda Platell and her commenters have very negative and demeaning and false ideas this a.m.. Harry has no shame and Meghan buys him cheap awards. They are obviously not ESPN viewers. How can editors allow this stuff to be printed?
The dm does not have a,provision for complaints about comments. So the ones that talk about the lies of buying awards and insults of Meghan get to stay. Disgraceful.
@Tessa. Long time lurker. First time commenter. No worries about the BM tabloid articles. We don’t expect any better from them. But mainstream American national broadcast news stations- ABC, NBC, CBS – even Fox News – carried Harry’s speech over several articles. And they were ALL very complimentary. To say nothing of the 2.1 million views on ESPN, and the countless tweets and retweets from those in attendance at the ESPYs. Harry’s speech has gone viral many times over. Comparatively speaking the BM’s influence doesn’t even amount to a pimple on the backside of the aforementioned US outlets and influencers.
There’s a reason why the BM is being sued left and right. We don’t hear about all of the lawsuits. Truth in writing/commentating doesn’t seem to sell. Not surprised at Platell. A bit ironic that she fought her way from a fashion reporter to real news stories to royal whatever lies.
Love that they’ve been claiming Meghan is unsuccessful/irrelevant/hated, and, yet, she has lots of money to buy awards. I don’t think the BM nutjobs even know what they’re saying anymore. Okay, they do. They don’t realize people see their nonsense.
There hasn’t been anything nice written or said about them here in Australia since the smear campaign began after their successful 2018 tour.
I read Lainey’s take on this and blah. She pays such grudging (almost) respect, not quite, to Harry about invictus. She pays more attention to their haters than anything. Reminds me why I haven’t read her for years. She adores kate though.
She still pissed that the Mulroney’s never gave her any inside tea about Meghan. Her coverage of the Sussexes is so cloying and fake.