Prince Harry has been lauded for acknowledging Pat Tillman’s mother Mary Tillman in his moving speech at the 2024 ESPY Awards. 

For the unversed, the Duke of Sussex received the Pat Tillman Award for Service on July 11 following a serious backlash which was directed towards him for being underserving and privileged enough of this notable honour.

During his acceptance speech, the former working royal paid respect to the “Tillman family, especially Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother – her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect.”

Harry added, “The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.”

Now, analysing Harry’s thoughtful move, royal expert Gareth Russell told GB News that the Duke’s speech has been well received by the public.

He added, “Many people tend to think that it was handled in quite a respectful way.”

Gareth shared that there are still some people who think Harry should have turned down the award altogether after Pat’s mom called him underserving of this accolade.

However, the royal commentator said, “…there is, of course, a big debate about whether it’s going to Prince Harry as an individual, or whether it’s going more generally to the Invictus Games, and what the focus should be there.”

“Broadly, but not universally, people thought he alluded to her criticism in the most tactful way he could,” Gareth stated.