Prince Harry to receive top US honour

Prince Harry will be the recipient of a prestigious award in the US next month as the Duke opened up about the grief of losing his mother.

Prince Harry is set to receive a prestigious award in the US, it was announced on Thursday local time.

The Duke of Sussex was announced as the recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service, which he’ll accept at a ceremony on July 11, which will be hosted by tennis legend Serena Williams.

“This one is for our entire service community,” Prince Harry said after learning of the honour.

The award is handed out to individuals who have made significant contributions in the world, which echo the legacy of former NFL player and US Army Ranger, Pat Tillman.

Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan, is being honoured for his Invictus Games which supports wounded veterans. Picture: AFP

Tillman, who played for the Arizona Cardinals, enlisted in the US Army after the September 11 attacks. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

Prince Harry is set to be honoured for his on the Invictus Games, as well as his military experience in Afghanistan.

The prince, who quit royal life in 2020, launched the Invictus Games in 2014 as multi-sport Paralympic-styled games for wounded or injured servicemen and veterans.

He will be receiving the award “in honour of his tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community through the power of sport.”

Pat Tillman was an NFL star who joined the US Army after September 11. He was killed in Afghanistan in 2004. Picture: Supplied

Prince Harry — who recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Games in London — also served in the British Armed Forces for 10 years, including two tours of duty in Afghanistan as an Apache helicopter pilot and a forward air controller. The father of two announced the news on his and wife Meghan Markle’s official website.

Also honoured are former NFL player Steve Gleason – set to be honoured with the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage for his fight with ALS – and legendary US basketball coach, Dawn Staley who will receive the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.

Prince Harry congratulates a military veteran at the Invictus Games. Picture: Supplied

“It’s our privilege to recognise three incredible individuals — Steve Gleason, Dawn Staley and Prince Harry,” Kate Jackson, VP of Production at ESPN, said in a statement.

“These honorees have used their platforms to change the world and make it more inclusive for marginalised and suffering communities, demonstrating incredible resilience, positivity and perseverance, and we’re thrilled to celebrate them at The 2024 ESPYS.”

‘IT EATS AWAY AT YOU’: HARRY OPENS UP ON GRIEF

The Duke of Sussex has told how “grief eats you away” and that children who have lost their parents do not have to stay sad forever to prove to them they are missed, in an emotional conversation with a widowed mother.

Prince Harry, who was 12 years old when his mother Princess Diana died in a car crash, was seen for the first time in a month, offering advice to bereaved military families who have to tell their children their father has been killed in combat.

In a filmed conversation for Scotty’s Little Soldier, a charity for bereaved military children, he recalled the grief he suffered from the death of his mother, saying: “You convince yourself that the person you’ve lost wants you, or you need to be sad for as long as possible to prove to them that they are missed.

“But then there’s this realisation of, no they must want me to be happy.”

Prince Harry has opened up about the emotional toll losing a parent can have on children. Picture: Getty Images

Offering some comfort to charity founder Nikki Scott, who revealed she had to break the news to her two children that their father had been killed in Afghanistan, he went on: “That’s the hardest thing, especially for kids, I think, which is, ‘I don’t want to talk about it because it will make me sad, but once realising if I do talk about it, and I’m celebrating their life, then actually, things become easier.’”

As global ambassador of the charity, Harry promised to do more to raise its profile and funding for families.

Princess Diana with young Prince Harry and Prince William. Picture: Getty Images

In the 18-minute interview with Mrs Scott, whose husband, Corporal Lee Scott, served with the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and was killed aged 26 in Afghanistan in 2009, leaving behind two children, Brooke, then six months old, and Kai, five, the Prince appeared tearful with red-rimmed eyes recalling the memory of his mother.

“I’m welling up now,” she said, relaying how she delivered the news to her five-year-old boy. “I literally shattered his world,” she said.

“You’re setting everybody else off as well,” he replied.

Pictured together in 1984, then Prince Charles and Diana Princess of Wales, with children Prince William and Prince Harry.

The video, filmed when the Duke of Sussex attended a party for the children supported by Scotty’s Little Soldiers when he was in Britain in May, was released ahead of Armed Forces Day.

Scotty’s Little Soldiers has more than 680 members and aims to increase numbers of young people to 1,000 by 2030.

Expressing his admiration for Mrs Scott’s work, Prince Harry said: “What you’ve done is incredible.

“It is truly inspirational. I’m really honoured and privileged to be part of Scotty’s now and I really look forward to us doing everything we can to bring in more people, more interest, raise more funds and be able to get the message out there to get more kids the support they so desperately need.”

Originally published as Prince Harry to receive top US honour