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'Ridiculous': Prince Harry under fire for donning four medals while honouring US servicewoman
Prince Harry has been targeted for wearing his own four medals while presenting an award to US combat medic, Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks.
Prince Harry has been targeted for wearing his own four medals while presenting an award to US combat medic, Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks.
The Duke of Sussex, who has served in the British Army for a decade, attended the “Soldier of the Year” award ceremony from his Montecito mansion via Zoom on Thursday.
Harry, 39, pinned an assortment of medals on his jacket, including one which was presented to him for his military service in Afghanistan. He received the other three from Queen Elizabeth II.
Meanwhile, royal observers quickly pointed out that he did not wear the Coronation medal that was awarded to him and other participants at King Charles' official coronation last May.
According to The Sun report, royal analyst Richard FitzWilliams said that the Prince had given a "snub" to his father, adding that "the Sussexes do nothing by chance".
"And this clearly emphasizes or is intended to emphasize his distance from the royal family,” he added.
“Good evening, everyone. Especially those who are serving, have served and continue to serve,” Harry stated at the awards ceremony. “Tonight I have the distinct honor of presenting this year’s Soldier of the Year Award. I first met Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks at the Invictus Games in Orlando 2016, where I presented her with not one but four gold medals that she won in swimming.”
During the address, the Duke of Sussex did not discuss his medals; instead, he concentrated on paying tribute to Marks' accomplishments.
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Prince Harry faces backlash
Blasting Prince Harry over his decision to wear medals, one person wrote on X: “We didn't have an American Veteran who could do this?”
“Good god, how pathetic,” a second user added. “He needs someone to advise him on optics. The participation medals are a sad cry for ‘Looook at meeeeeeeee.'”
Another critic called his decision “embarrassing”, claiming his medals looked “ridiculous”.
Meanwhile, some of Harry's supporters rushed to the Prince's rescue, asserting that his Afghanistan campaign medal was well-deserved.
During his service in the UK Army, Harry toured Afghanistan twice -- first time in 2007 and the second time in 2008.
One defender stated, Prince Harry "is entitled to wear his medals", while another wrote, he has earned the medals.
