Prince Harry accepting the Pat Tillman Award for service after heavy criticism from Tillman's mother and the veteran community is a "wincing slap in the face", it has been claimed.
The Duke of Sussex attended the ESPYS award ceremony in Hollywood earlier this month to claim the honour, despite being branded "divisive" by Pat Tillman's mother Mary.
Ahead of the ceremony, a petition of over 70,000 signatures had been signed in an attempt to block Harry from receiving the award.
In his acceptance speech, Harry praised the "eternal" bond "between a mother and son", and praised Tillman's mother's "advocacy for Pat's legacy", calling it "deeply personal and one that I respect".
Prince Harry receiving the Pat Tillman award was a 'wincing slap in the face', claims Lee Cohen
GBNA / Getty
Discussing the fallout on GBN America, US Commentator Lee Cohen said the latest controversy facing the Duke is a "wincing slap in the face", and has become a "divisive" figure in both the US and UK.
Cohen told GBNA host Nana Akua: "Prince Harry's reception of the award sparked controversy and significant pushback in the USA.
"To the point where Mary Tillman, Pat's mother, expressed that Harry should not accept the award at all."
Noting the impact on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's reputation in America, Cohen added: "What a wincing slap in the face that was. The award was named after an American military hero who gave up a lucrative football career.
The Duke of Sussex accepted the award despite widespread criticism from the veteran community and Tillman's family
Getty
"The mother of the hero expressed that Prince Harry was too controversial and divisive an individual, and they felt that he conflicted with the spirit of the award."
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Analysing how this may affect Prince Harry's possible ventures in the future, Cohen claimed that the controversy shows the royal is "not the best asset" for charitable causes anymore.
Cohen explained: "So you can see in the spilling over of that, that Harry may not be the best asset to any charity, being as he's viewed by the public, by the American public and by the British public as divisive and controversial."
Nana weighed in on the award backlash, and argued that Harry "would say he left the Royal Family to become more involved in charitable causes".
She told GBNA: "Harry might argue that he left the Royal Family to do what he's doing now, but he was already doing that beforehand.
Lee Cohen said Prince Harry 'may not be the best asset' for charity causes going forward
GBNA
"But you could argue that he maybe left his royal roots to get involved and do things like this. But as I said, he's already doing it, so I don't really know where he's going with that."
In his acceptance speech, Prince Harry also paid tribute to the veteran community and honoured his own project, the Invictus Games.
Harry said: "The truth is I stand here not as Prince Harry Pat Tillman Award recipient, but rather as a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation."
"And the thousands of veterans and service personnel from over 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality.
"This award belongs to them, not to me. It is of great importance to me to highlight these allies and their amazing families for their achievements, their spirit, and their courage at every opportunity."
