Prince Harry Spends Time With Pat Tillman's Widow During Surprise Appearance at Tillman Honors Gala

Prince Harry made a surprise pubic appearance earlier this week, deepening his connection to a foundation that has become near and dear to his heart. On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the Duke of Sussex attended The Pat Tillman Foundation's annual Tillman Honors gala, held at the Union League Club of Chicago.

According to a social media post from the Foundation's Instagram account, the gala featured "over 400 supporters" who all came together to celebrate the foundation's "remarkable Tillman Scholars and raise essential funds for the Tillman Scholar Program."

In the video shared on Instagram, the Duke of Sussex can be seen participating in a leadership development roundtable discussion with more than 40 Tillman Scholars ahead of the dinner. His attendance was a surprise to the participants, including retired NFL quarterback Jake Plummer.

Earlier this year, Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPYs for his commitment to supporting veterans through the Invictus Games. As a military veteran himself, having served 10 years in the British Army, the Duke of Sussex created the games to help wounded, injured and sick armed forces personnel.

For the uninitiated, Pat Tillman was a former NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals who, after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, retired from football to join the U.S. Army as a Ranger and deploy abroad. Tillman was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 as a result of friendly fire. He was 27 years old.

After his death, Tillman received both the Silver Star and a Purple Heart for his service.

After it was announced that the Duke of Sussex would be this year's Pat Tillman Award recipient, he received some backlash from people who questioned the choice—including Tillman's mother.

At the time, Mary Tillman told The Daily Mail that she felt there were others "working in the veteran community" that could have been honored. However, the duke was seated next to Tillman's widow, Marie Tillman Shenton, at her table for this year's gala, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

ESPN responded to the backlash by defending their choice to award Prince Harry with the coveted honor, telling TMZ Sports via a statement: “ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, is honoring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, specifically for the work of The Invictus Games Foundation as it celebrates its 10th year promoting healing through the power of sport for military service members and veterans around the world."

“While we understand not everyone will agree with all honorees selected for any award, The Invictus Games Foundation does incredible work, and ESPN believes this is a cause worth celebrating," the statement continued.