Prince Harry was saved from further backlash over his controversial Pat Tillman award due to focus moving to Donald Trump’s assassination attempt, a PR expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, was given the honour for his work with the Invictus Games, which celebrates the sporting achievements of wounded, sick or injured service people.
It is named after the late Pat Tillman, a former American footballer who gave up his career to serve in the US military in the wake of 9/11. He was subsequently killed in Afghanistan in 2004.
The award is given to veterans who have similarly made an impact through sport, but many argued that there were more deserving recipients than the prince, including Mr Tillman’s mother, Mary.
A Change.org petition was launched against the duke, urging ESPN to “rethink” its decision to give him “to receive an honour of this magnitude”.
“He has faced accusations of endangering his squadron by publicly revealing military kills,” it read.
The petition had received over 70,000 signatures at the time of the duke’s acceptance at a ceremony in Los Angeles on 11 July.
Eric Schiffer, chair of Reputation Management Consultants, said Harry is only “slightly injured” for his move to accept the award.
“He will absolutely survive this in part because of the media cycle. No one really paid much attention given the contrast to what happened since Trump was shot,” Mr Schiffer told Newsweek.
“So, it’s not something Harry would have liked to have seen. At the same time, he was honoring a great American.”
Former President Donald Trump was was shot in the ear about 15 minutes after he took to the stage at the campaign event in Pennsylvania on Saturday night.
He dropped to the ground and was swarmed by his security detail, who rushed him offstage to a waiting motorcade.
Mr Trump could be seen raising his fist in the air and mouthing the words: “Fight, fight, fight.”
Mr Schiffer added that Harry was “saved” from further backlash due to the assassination attempt on the former Republican President.
He added: “It just has this feel of, ‘What else can he try to elevate himself within?’ and, in some of these cases, he’s getting hit in the teeth.”
“It has his brand and himself getting viewed in a way that is not as elegant and elevated, strategically, as I think he wanted. But, compared to the stuff he’s dealt with in the past, this is easily managed.”
In his acceptance speech, Harry praised Mr Tillman’s mother Mary and took the opportunity to praise the late Princess Diana.
“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.”
He praised the work of the Invictus Games, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, as a force for unity in an increasingly divided world.
