Prince Harry had a night to remember at the ESPYs, from his emotional speech to Serena Williams' joke

On Thursday night, 11 July, Prince Harry was given a great honour during the Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards (ESPYs) in Los Angeles. He was awarded the Pat Tillman Award for Service, notably for his work with the Invictus Games.

The award is named after Pat Tillman, a solider who lost his life in Afghanistan at the young age of 27. Tillman was also a 'promising NFL player', as Newsweek puts it.

When it was first announced that Prince Harry would be receiving the award, he faced a massive wave of backlash. Even Pat Tillman's mom made a public statement questioning whether he was an appropriate recipient. She said at the time:

I am shocked as to why they would select such a controversial and divisive individual to receive the award.

Prince Harry's powerful speech

However, despite the backlash, Prince Harry decided to accept the award. In his acceptance speech, which has been dubbed 'powerful' and 'emotional', he even addressed the controversy in his own way. He emphasized that while the award was given to him, it did not necessarily belong to him. He said:

The truth is, I stand here not as Prince Harry, Pat Tillman Award recipient, but rather a voice on behalf of the Invictus Games Foundation and the thousands of veterans and service personnel from over 20 nations who have made the Invictus Games a reality. This award belongs to them, not to me.

Moreover, he went on to acknowledge Mary Tilman, Pat's mother, and pay his respects to her. By drawing a parallel with him losing his mother, Princess Diana, at a young age, he said that the 'bond between a mother and son is eternal and transcends even the greatest losses.' So far, Mrs. Tilman has not publicly reacted to his speech.

And while Prince Harry's speech certainly moved many, there was another moment during the ESPYs that has people talking.

Serena Williams made a joke about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who was also present at the event to support her husband, and it has been circulating all over the internet.

Serena Williams' monologue

The tennis superstar was at the ESPYs as a host. She was fully prepared to take on celebrities with her monologue that was peppered with jokes. She took the opportunity to joke about her long time friends, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the footage has been going viral on X with almost 200K views.

What did the athlete say about the royal couple? Well in context of the endless criticism Prince Harry and Meghan face from the media, specifically about how they allegedly always want to be in the spotlight, she said:

Please, Harry and Meghan, try not to breathe too much tonight.

Because this is my night and I don't want to be overshadowed by the accusations that you guys are taking up too much oxygen. OK?

How did Prince Harry and Meghan react to the joke?

Well, given that Serena took the liberty of roasting several other celebrities, they certainly know that it was all just for the giggles. It's also very clear that Williams was more making a mockery out of the media, than the couple themselves.

You can see a shot of both Prince Harry and Meghan laughing and looking up at her while she continues with her monologue.

Their friendship is probably why Serena felt comfortable enough to joke about the royal couple for the whole world to see.

According to Hello!, Serena and Meghan have had a very strong friendship since 2014. Not only are they present during major milestones, with Williams attending Markle's wedding to Prince Harry, but they often publicly support one another as well.

When Serena Williams was pregnant with her firstborn, Meghan told Vogue that she would be 'an amazing mom'. When the royal was facing scrutiny from the press when she first started dating Prince Harry, Williams told Vanity Fair:

I told her, 'You've got to be who you are, Meghan. You can't hide.'

Read more:

Meghan Markle’s father Thomas on their estranged relationship: ‘I never imagined her turning against me’

Prince Harry revealed he had 32 missed calls from home when Prince Philip died

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Sources used:

X

Newsweek: Serena Williams' Harry and Meghan Comment Goes Viral

Newsweek: Prince Harry's ESPY Award Speech in Full: 'Leave No One Behind'

Fox News: Prince Harry's ESPY Awards speech honors Pat Tillman's mother after she slammed decision to give him award

Hello! Magazine: Inside Serena Williams' 10-year friendship with Meghan Markle — how they've supported each other