Prince Harry finally breaks his silence on awards controversy as thousands call for him to return honor meant for a war hero

As far as the Royals are concerned, it feels inevitable that wherever Prince Harry goes and whatever venture he dives into next, it’s clear that controversy is set to follow. Once again, the Duke of Sussex has found himself in news headlines and as a topic of interest for all the wrong reasons.

This bout of controversy, of course, is heavily in regards to the upcoming military award that he is set to receive due to his involvement in the Invictus Games — an international sporting event designed to provide rehabilitation to wounded, disabled, and sick military veterans. For his part, Harry is set to receive the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPY Awards tomorrow, July 11 — a decision that has undoubtedly ruffled a fair amount of feathers.

The decision for Harry to receive the award was initially announced by ESPN in the early days of July, although a mountain of backlash from NFL fans, critics, and even Tillman’s mother has certainly not placed the Duke of Sussex in a high regard as far as the public eye is concerned.

In the face of adversity, Harry himself has finally decided to break the silence and congratulate the athletes and competitors a part of Team UK. “These games present an incredible opportunity for our courageous service personnel and veterans to demonstrate their skills in new challenges,” Harry said in his official statement (via The Sun), although he notably chose to ignore the thousands of people calling for him to not accept the award in the first place.

Despite the ever-growing controversy and arguments over whether or not he is a suitable candidate, it looks as though Harry will receive the award nonetheless, as ESPN responded in a recent statement. So if Harry is indeed looking to gain some ground on the popularity front, then angering an entire nation and refusing to publicly address those concerns head-on is probably not the best decision.