At ESPYs, Prince Harry Applauded a Critic While Accepting an Award

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is no stranger to controversy, and he found himself in the thick of another public-relations pickle before he strode to the stage at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Thursday night.

But in accepting the Pat Tillman Award for Service at ESPN’s annual made-for-TV gala, Harry graciously acknowledged his critics — including Mr. Tillman’s mother, Mary — while citing the work that his organization, the Invictus Games, had done since its inception in 2014.

“The truth is, I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman Award recipient,” Harry said during his speech, “but rather 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.”

The awards show, which had its broadcast delayed by President Biden’s news conference, featured stars from the sports world and beyond in their formal best. There were emotional moments, like a speech from the former Alabama football coach Nick Saban, who won the Icon Award; powerful ones, like Dawn Staley, the women’s basketball coach at South Carolina, highlighting the pay gap in men’s and women’s sports; and some laugh-out-loud moments when presenters took swipes at people like Harrison Butker and Bronny James.

But much of the focus going into the event was how things would play out with Harry winning an award that has been a part of the ESPYs since 2014 and is named for Pat Tillman, a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals who gave up his lucrative N.F.L. career to enlist in the U.S. Army after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004.

In June, ESPN announced that Harry would be receiving this year’s award “in honor of his tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community through the power of sport.” Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan while spending 10 years in the British Armed Forces, founded the Invictus Games as an international, multisport event for wounded, injured and sick veterans and service members.