Prince Harry has spoken out for the first time following backlash over his upcoming Pat Tillman Award, issuing a message of support to the UK team selected for the first Winter Invictus Games. The Duke of Sussex is set to receive the award at the ESPY sports awards in the US on Thursday, but the decision has faced criticism, including from Tillman's mother Mary, who called him a 'controversial and divisive individual'.
In his statement, Harry congratulated the 64-strong Team UK squad for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler in February 2025. The team includes 60 competitors and four reserves, drawn from across the armed services, with injuries including visual impairment, amputation, traumatic brain injuries, PTSD and mental health conditions. Harry said: 'These games present an incredible opportunity for our courageous service personnel and veterans to demonstrate their skills in new challenges like alpine skiing, snowboarding and skeleton.'
The Invictus Games, founded by Harry in 2014, is an international adaptive multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women. This year's event will be the first to include winter sports. Among the selected athletes is captain Stephen 'Hoops' Hooper, a former RAF serviceman diagnosed with PTSD, and Juliet Bale, a former RAF and Army nurse who sustained a traumatic brain injury on operation in Kenya.
Louise Assioun, Team UK manager for the Royal British Legion, said: 'For the selected individuals, being part of a team again, representing their country and being around others who are all on their individual recovery pathway is what makes Team UK’s journey to the Invictus Games so unique.'
The backlash to Harry's Pat Tillman Award, named after the former NFL player killed in Afghanistan, has been described as a 'pressing problem' for the Duke, who seeks to build a career on his military legacy. A source told The Telegraph that criticism of his veteran work is a 'particularly bitter pill to swallow', adding: 'The reaction certainly took the shine off the award.'
