ESPYs host Serena Williams pokes fun at friends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and calls them ‘actual royalty’ as duke controversially accepts Pat Tillman Award watched by the Afghan war hero’s widow

Serena Williams mercilessly poked fun at her friends Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and said the LA ceremony where the Duke of Sussex controversially collected a veterans’ award was fit for ‘actual royalty’.

Harry was given a standing ovation by his wife as he accepted the Pat Tillman Award despite the fallen soldier’s mother declaring the royal is too ‘privileged’ and other soldiers were more deserving.

Mary Tillman was not at the ceremony in LA’s Dolby Theatre but Pat’s widow Marie was, and she sat next to her second husband Joseph Shenton and watched on seriously as the award in her late spouse’s memory went to Harry.

Before he stood up, host Serena made the Sussexes giggle at a series of jokes at their expense – and her own.

Williams, who attended the Sussexes’ royal wedding, said: ‘It’s pretty often that I get to be in a room with actual royalty, and tonight is no exception’, adding with a smile: ‘Prince Harry and Meghan are here. Let’s give it up for them’.

She continued: ‘But please, Harry and Meghan, try not to breathe too much tonight.

‘Because this is my night, and I don’t want to be overshadowed by the accusations that you guys are taking up too much oxygen, okay?’

The camera then cut to Meghan and Harry, who laughed in the front row.

Minutes later the Duke of Sussex was handed the Pat Tillman Award and spoke of the ‘eternal bond’ between mother and son – a nod to Mary Tillman and Princess Diana.

Harry has faced calls to reject the award because it has typically gone to unsung veterans. More than 76,000 people signed a petition demanding the decision was reversed.

And Mary Tillman told the Mail last month that she was ‘shocked’ it would go to ‘such a controversial and divisive figure’, adding: ‘There are recipients that are far more fitting. These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has’.

But last night at the glitzy ESPY Awards in Los Angeles, hosted by Meghan’s close friend Serena Williams, Harry extended an olive branch to Mr Tillman’s mother.

Meghan beamed with pride as Harry spoke of his ‘respect’ for how she was preserving her son’s bravery and memory, as he also applauded the sacrifice of wounded veterans and praised the Invictus Games in his victory speech. 

‘Her advocacy for Pat’s legacy is deeply personal and one that I respect,’ he said. ‘The bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.’ 

Harry brushed off calls for him to turn down the prize from critics including the former head of Britain’s Royal Navy Lord West, who warned the royal risked the wrath of military veterans. 

The Pat Tillman Award is named after the iconic NFL player and late US Army Ranger who gave up his lucrative sporting career to enlist in the army in the wake of 9/11 before his death in Afghanistan in 2004 due to friendly fire.

Prince Harry accepted the prestigious military honour, and he used his time on stage to pay tribute to wounded veterans. 

As he accepted the award from three previous winners, Harry – who served two tours in Afghanistan – noted the struggles that military personnel face after they return from duty. 

Although some condemned the choice of Prince Harry for the award, ESPN defended it and cited his role in setting up the Invictus Games – which he mentioned as he dedicated the award to ‘the entire service community’.

‘Tonight, we celebrate healing through sport,’ he said, ending the speech by addressing veterans around the world, telling them: ‘We will leave no one behind.’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex joined other award nominees including Patrick Mahomes and Caitlin Clark at the glitzy ESPN event on Thursday evening, hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams. 

He began his acceptance speech by expressing his ‘deepest gratitude to everyone at the Pat Tillman Foundation’ including the ex-NFL player’s widow Marie Tillman Shenton who was among those attending.

He then made his remarks addressing Mary Tillman, before adding: ‘I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman Award recipient, 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.’

He also spoke of the inspiration Invictus Games competitors provided amid what he called ‘an age of polarisation and divison’.

The duke said: ‘While so much progress has been made since those first Invictus Games, the world outside seems to be in an even more precarious state.

‘Conflicts rage around the globe – anger and resentment towards those who are different seem to pervade societies everywhere.

‘Our community challenges that – our community proves that unity is not just possible but formidable.

‘The beauty of the Invictus Games lies in how it brings people together no matter one’s nationality, background or personal struggles.

‘It is a collective, built from courage and mutual respect – where athletes discover time and time again the common denominator of their humanity.

‘Having survived the crucible of armed combat and forged through the challenge to rebuild bodies and minds impacted by conflict, they form a family. They exemplify the very best in all of us.  

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had received a huge cheer when they were announced by Williams, a close friend of Meghan, as she jokingly warned them not to ‘overshadow’ her on ‘my night.’

Williams also received a warm welcome on stage as she admitted the role was a departure from her usual talents, saying: ‘You may be asking what I’m doing up here.’ 

‘This is my night,’ she quipped while pointing out Harry and Meghan. ‘I don’t want to be overshadowed by you two breathing too much oxygen.’

Williams also paid tribute to the banner year women’s sports has had in 2024, and took aim at the hosts ESPN for a lack of airtime given in years past.

Hours before the event began, a small aircraft flew a mysterious message aimed at Prince Harry overhead, cryptically urging him to ‘investigate Mum’s death.’   

The announcement of Harry as the winner last month drew scrutiny on event organizers, with ESPN personality Pat McAfee implying that Harry was picked as a purposefully divisive winner to increase TV ratings. 

Mary Tillman also claimed that she was not even consulted over the winner. 

‘These individuals do not have the money, resources, connections or privilege that Prince Harry has. I feel that those types of individuals should be recognized,’ she said. 

ESPN quickly defended its decision to give the award to Harry following Mary’s remarks, saying it chose the Duke of Sussex ‘specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation.’ 

‘While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating,’ the network said in a statement to the New York Post.

The award notably joins together the worlds of sport and the military, and aims to recognize those who made ‘remarkable civic contributions, extraordinary fortitude, and spirit of service’ in both realms.

Former winners of the award came out in support of Harry after critics scathed his victory, with 2017 and 2018 winners, US Marine Jake Wood and USAF Master Sgt. Israel Del Toro Jr. respectively, defending the Duke. 

Wood told TMZ that he saw Harry’s military record as deserving, with the royal having served in two tours of Afghanistan, the same number of tours he himself had done. 

Del Toro Jr. also cited Harry’s work with the Invictus Games, and said he was looking forward to watching the royal win this year’s award.

The Pat Tillman Award has previously been given to unsung heroes and ast year it went to members of the Buffalo Bills American football team training staff who revived a dying player on the field.

An online petition urging ESPN to reassess its decision last night had more than 75,000 signatures.

The petition page set up by New Jersey resident Patti Mickel states: ‘Prince Harry, while a former military officer, has been involved in controversies that call into question his suitability to receive an honor of this magnitude.

‘In contrast, Pat Tillman exemplified duty, honour, and sacrifice. He gave up his successful NFL career to serve his country after the 9/11 attacks, and tragically lost his life during his service.

‘Awarding this honour to someone who does not reflect the award’s intent diminishes its value and disrespects Tillman’s memory.’

Comparisons have been drawn with how Harry, who completed two tours of Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot, was recognised as a Living Legend of Aviation at a star-studded ceremony in Beverly Hills, California, in January.

As he joined astronauts Buzz Aldrin and James Lovell in collecting that honour, former Royal Navy head Admiral Lord West said of Harry: ‘He is not a living legend.’

Lord West said this week of the prince’s latest honour: ‘I really think Harry should be well advised to sit back and not accept awards like this.

‘It doesn’t travel well with people in the military. And when the mother of the man who died doesn’t want him to get this award, he should think about that.

‘My advice to him is to sit back and not accept any awards at the moment. They are going his way because has such a high profile and people want to take advantage of that.’

Former NFL player McAfee has also been among ESPN’s critics, saying: ‘We should celebrate sports. The worldwide leaders should celebrate sport but doing something like this is obviously trying to p*** people off.’

He suggested a new category award just for Harry, adding: ‘ESPY for Royal Family member who doesn’t want to be called “Royal Family member” who loves sports?’

Sources close to the prince have told of him feeling hurt by the backlash against the prize nomination – describing the fallout as ‘a bitter pill to swallow’.

One was quoted by the Telegraph as saying: ‘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.’

And former Pat Tillman Award winner Wood defended Prince Harry on TMZ Live, saying: ‘He’s a royal prince – there’s 100 different things he could have done with his life after his service in the British Armed Forces but he’s chosen to dedicate a big portion of his post-military life to helping veterans.’

Tillman was already a famous name in the NFL before he gave it up to enlist, having spent three successful years playing for the Arizona Cardinals. 

In 2002, he gave up a $3.6million, three-year contract extension in favor of the Army, and although his time in the military captured headlines the same as in his NFL career, he was earning just $1,600-per-month before taxes, according to Bleacher Report.

He was first deployed to Iraq in March 2003, and returned to the US to complete Ranger school – a gruelling 62-day course – before re-deploying to Afghanistan in April 2004.

Tillman’s death just weeks into his tour of Afghanistan sparked a media frenzy, as it was initially reported that Tillman died at the hands of ‘enemy combatants’ after his squadron was ambushed.

However, it later emerged that Tillman had run up a hill during a gun battle to protect his fellow soldiers, but was actually shot three times in the head by his own men in a tragic case of friendly fire.

The military only admitted the truth a month after Tillman’s very public funeral, with many speculating it did so to avoid further bad press as his death came in the same week that torture at the Abu Ghraib prison facility was exposed.

The Invictus Games was established in 2014 by Harry as an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women – including those still serving in the armed forces as well as veterans.

Earlier this week the prince told of being excited to see the ‘passion, determination, and resilience’ of the Team UK squad taking part in the next Invictus Games, the first to include winter sports.

He predicted a ‘memorable experience’ scheduled for next February in Vancouver which will include alpine skiing, snowboarding and skeleton, after a 64-strong Team UK squad was named.

Harry and Meghan quit frontline royal duties in January 2020 and moved across the Atlantic for a new life in Montecito, California, with their children Archie and Lilibet.

He released a tell-all memoir Spare in January last year, which became the UK’s fastest-selling non-fiction book after he clinched a £16million ($20million) advance as part of a £32million ($40million) four-book deal with publishers Penguin Random House.

The book included allegations that he was pushed into a dog bowl by his elder brother Prince William during an argument over former TV show Suits actress Meghan.

It also claimed William teased Harry about his panic attacks, that King Charles put his own interests above his second son and saw Harry talk about taking cocaine, marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms.

Harry and Meghan gave an interview to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 in which they accused an unnamed member of the royal family of raising concerns about how dark their son Archie’s skin might be.