Prince Harry, who accepted the Pat Tillman Award for his Invictus Games initiative, has been praised by the UK for his new honor in the US.
The Duke of Sussex has also received a new title from the UK after accepting the award at a glamorous ceremony in the US even after around 80,000 people signed a petition protesting against the decision.
Former royal Butler Grant Harrold, speaking to GB News, has given a new title to the Duke after Harry’s speech at the event, claiming he is a “gentle character”.
In his acceptance speech, King Charles III’s younger son praised the “eternal” bond “between a mother and son”. He praised Tillman’s mother Mary’s “advocacy for Pat’s legacy”, calling it “deeply personal, and one that I respect”.
Defending Harry, the former butler to King Charles said the heavy criticism of the Duke by the veteran community would be “weighing on his shoulders”.
Harrold went on: “This is quite a personal thing to him because obviously his acts of service over the years, including in Afghanistan, starting the Invictus Games, which is always what this word was connected to.
“He’ll be aware of what’s being said, of the kind of feedback and also of the mother who has obviously voiced her concerns.”
Reacting to Tillman’s mother’s concerns, he claimed she “wasn’t consulted” on Prince Harry receiving the award.
Harrold admitted: “I wasn’t sure if he would accept it, but obviously the advice he was given was ‘why not?’
“I know how much it meant to him, with his involvement within the armed forces and setting up the Invictus Games. So to be given this award for those reasons, to my mind, makes sense.”
Acknowledging the backlash from the veteran community, Harrold continued: “Obviously there’s a lot of strong opinion about him, but I just feel it’s a bit unfair to kind of judge him.”
