PRINCE Harry’s Hollywood relaunch is “crumbling” with the world not forgetting what he has done, a royal expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, will be honoured with the Pat Tillman Award for Service for his Invictus Games work at the glittering ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday.
The ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) is run by the sports TV network ESPN and the Pat Tillman Award has previously been given to unsung heroes.
The award aims to echo the legacy of the former NFL player and US Army Ranger, Pat Tillman,” according to ESPN.
But when it was announced that Harry was a winner late last month, criticism quickly poured in.
Now, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has suggested that Harry must be feeling “very very embarassed” about the situation.
He exclusively told The Sun: ” I think it must be a very considerable blow to Prince Harry that his fact that he’s getting the Pat Tillman award on Friday has caused such fury.
“I mean there were nearly 70,000 signatures protesting against it.
“He must be personally, feeling very, very embarrassed about this.
“However, if you look deeper, you find the fact that I think there’s a visceral feeling among a great many in America that it isn’t just what you have achieved.
“Harry values his links with the military – Invictus is a remarkable creation, but it’s also a matter of character.”
Mary Tillman, the late war hero’s mum, slammed Harry after the decision was made.
She said there were others who were “far more fitting” and with less “privilege” who could win the gong.
Mr Fitzwilliams continued: “Mary isn’t involved in the ceremony, but or in the the decision, but she regards Harry as a controversial and divisive figure.
“And there’s absolutely no question that if for a period of over three years you conduct a form of guerrilla warfare which is what it was against the royal family people will remember it.
“Facts of the matter are that people haven’t forgotten this and have not forgotten what were brutal attacks.”
The royal commentator said that although Harry has tried to “monetise his connections” with the royal family, it doesn’t mean that those who strongly disapproved of his behaviour would be quiet when he was given awards.
While Richard backed Harry’s work with the Invictus Games, saying it was a “remarkable achievement” he said that Harry had history of showing a “destructive side”.
Richard added: “I’s a question of character as well as achievement, no one’s disputing Invictus being excellent, but they are suggesting that Harry looks in the mirror and realises that there are very deep character flaws there because of the way he’s behaved towards his own family.
“It’s a signal to Harry that you can’t just hand these awards out.
“He’s certainly not a legend of aviation regarding this award.
“It’s a question of someone who has also clearly shown, in my opinion anyways, a deeply destructive side.”
The royal expert added: “Harry should realise from this that people are not just looking at what he wants them to look at.
“They are looking at his record as a human being and his links with his own family.”
When asked whether he agreed that Harry was banking on moving to the US and starting afresh with a Hollywood relaunch, Mr Fitzwilliams agreed that this move was “basically crumbling”.
The royal expert added that it had not been a success but stressed it was “just at the moment”.
What happened to Pat Tillman?
ESPN recounted Tillman’s tragic death in 2014 as the 10th anniversary approached.
Tillman was a safety with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals for four seasons before joining the Army.
He enlisted eight months after 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 terror attacks.
Tillman, a California native, turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million when he joined the military.
“The events leading up to one of the most infamous friendly-fire deaths in US military history were rife for second-guessing from the start,” reported ESPN.
“After an Army Humvee broke down in the mountains, Tillman’s platoon was divided by superiors so that the Humvee could be removed; a local truck driver was hired as the hauler.
“But the two groups struggled to communicate with each other as they traversed the steep terrain. And the second group soon became caught in a deafening ambush, receiving fire as it manoeuvred down a narrow, rocky canyon trail.”
A squad leader would misidentify an allied Afghan soldier positioned next to Tillman as the enemy, according to ESPN.
Soldiers would fire upon what Army Ranger Steven Elliott called “shadowy images,” ESPN reported.
It comes as tens of thousands of people signed a petition urging the decision in Harry’s favour to be reconsidered.
The petition, which was started on June 27, asked “ESPN to rethink awarding the Pat Tillman Award to Prince Harry”, had clocked up 67,000 signatures to date.
One signatory said: “Pat Tillman sacrificed his life for duty and country.
“Harry walked away from duty and country and spit on his commander in chief, country, duty and family on his way out.
“All for a Hollywood dream. I’m appalled as an American that you would give him this award. It now means nothing.”
A source previously claimed the backlash had been a hard pill to swallow for the Duke – who has proudly poured years of work into helping war veterans.
The insider claimed that while Harry and his team are used to being criticised, he found discussion around his work with the military upsetting.
The source told the Telegraph: “Harry’s legacy on Invictus, the things he has achieved, that’s his real passion.
“This is the space in which he truly feels at home, it is something he deeply cares about. The reaction certainly took the shine off the award.”
Harry’s representatives have been contacted for comment by The Sun.
Harry winning award a 'tragedy' - expert
Prince Harry winning an ESPY award is a “tragedy” and the mum of NFL legend Pat Tillman is “right to be disturbed,” a royal expert has said.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, is due to be honoured with the Pat Tillman Award for Service for his Invictus Games work at the glitzy ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on July 11.
The ESPY Awards (Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly) is run by the sports TV network ESPN and the Pat Tillman Award has previously been given to unsung heroes.
For the last 10 years the Pat Tillman Award for Service has been “given to a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and US Army Ranger, Pat Tillman,” according to ESPN.
Tillman’s life was tragically cut short when he was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan.
Pat’s mum, Mary, has previously hit out at the Duke saying there are others “far more fitting” and with less “privilege” who could win the gong.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said: “It’s a very, very sad situation, and I think this is one of the reasons Mary Tillman, the mother of Pat, believes that Harry isn’t fit, and that is a wasted opportunity.
“In my opinion, I think it’s been a tragedy all round.”
While Richard backed Harry’s work with the Invictus Games, saying it was a “remarkable achievement” he said it had been a “missed opportunity”.
Richard added: “Consider what they could have achieved but also what they could have done in an addition to Invictus and other charities for others.
“If you look at the way members of the Royal Family, tirelessly, very often without publicity, carry out royal duties, it’s very important to see.
“Yes, that Invictus was something that was remarkable, but equally it could have been followed by so much more that was also remarkable, and would have helped others in certain charities.
“Issues like gender equality, racial equality, discrimination of various sorts, and so forth, which they feel so strongly about as senior working members of the royal family, and they had a unique opportunity to do this.”