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The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry isn’t giving up his military medals reflecting his years in the army despite the ensuing royal drama. Following his step down from royal duties in 2020, the Royal Family stripped Prince Harry of three of his honorary military titles, among other royal entitlements and privileges. While the move ultimately makes it unlikely for him to earn more Jubilee medals or military badges, the Prince got to keep his previous decorations, each having a history deeply rooted in his royal life post-Megxit.
Prince Harry’s Military Medal Is More Than a Cry for Attention
Prince Harry took a walk down that life recently by donning not one but four decorative medals honoring his years in the military and, by extension, a senior royal. The Duke of Sussex did the honors of presenting the Military Times’ Soldier of the Year award to US combat medic Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks on April 26. Marks, who Harry described as a “friend” and “beacon of Inspiration,” is a four-time Invictus Games gold medalist. She first crossed paths with Prince Harry in 2016, where she received four gold medals for her participation in Swimming.
The combat medic joined the US Army in 2008. However, she sustained bilateral hip injuries barely two years later during her deployment to Iran. Despite the injuries’ detrimental effect on her military dreams, Marks has continued to be outstanding. She proved her resilience during the Invictus Games, a “free platform for international wounded, injured and sick (WIS) armed forces personnel” to find recovery through sports.
While his connection to her as the Invictus Games founder made him one of the most worthy people to do Marks the honors, the internet thinks enlisting Prince Harry was one big flop. One enraged netizen fired on Reddit,
“Out of everyone in the world, they chose Harry.”
Another chimed in,
“We didn’t have an American Veteran who could do this?”
A third wrote,
“Harry will do anything for attention and money. I don’t know why the magazine thought he was an appropriate presenter.”
Harry Criticized for Wearing Military Medals During Award Presentation
Meanwhile, most netizens were more outraged by Prince Harry’s decision to decorate himself with four army medals during the presentation. According to them, wearing the medals despite being stripped of his military titles was an embarrassing attempt to steal the spotlight from Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Mark. X users also got in on the action, making scathing remarks about the prince. One wrote,
“Good god, how pathetic. He’s lopsided! He needs someone to advise him on optics. The participation medals are a sad cry for ‘looook at meeeeeeeee’.”
Another quipped,
“Bunker Harry looks like a moron wearing those medals.”
A third added,
“Why is everything these two produce out of focus? Those medals are ridiculous.”
In the video capturing his presentation speech, Prince Harry, standing outside his home in Montecito, California, appeared fully decorated with four medals earned during his time as a working royal. He received one of the medals in 2008 for his operational service in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, the other three were the late Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, Diamond Jubilee Medal and Platinum Jubilee Medal awarded him in 2002, 2012 and 2020, respectively.
Each medal, pinned to Prince Harry’s black blazer, represents a significant moment in the royal life he’s strived so hard to bid farewell to. Perhaps more than his supposed quest for attention, the Sussex royal hoped to honor his late grandmother, his military service, his connection to Marks, and ultimately, his commitment to the heart of Invictus.