Prince Harry ‘misses being the happy prince’, former BBC royal correspondent Michael Cole has told GB News.

The decision to hand the duke the Pat Tillman Award has been met with scrutiny in the US.

The gong, which honours US war hero Tillman, will be given to Harry at a glitzy awards ceremony hosted by ESPN.

Cole noted Harry’s military work which includes two tours of Afghanistan and establishing the Invictus Games – a sporting competition for wounded, injured and sick veterans.

According to Cole, Harry “misses” being able to focus more on military affairs and having titles stripped of him has “hurt a lot”.

“I respect him for setting up the Invictus Games”, he said.

It’s a brilliant idea. I respect him for his two tours of duty in Afghanistan.

“But all this was pre-Meghan [Markle]. That’s when he was the happy prince. That’s when he was doing his job.

“Quite frankly, I’m quite sure he misses that role. He’s been stripped of his honours and his ranks within the British armed forces.

“That will have hurt him a lot.”

According to Cole, Harry faces a “complication” when it comes to accepting the award, and the duke would be best served “discreetly” snubbing it.

“If he was taking PR advice from me, he would discreetly and politely decline the award”, he said.

“Or, he would not go in person to collect it. But there is a complication, as the host of the evening is Serena Williams.

“Of course we all know that she is a big pal of Meghan Markle’s. Whether he will be able to duck this out is uncertain.

Interestingly, Admiral Lord West, the former Royal Navy commander echoed the same sentiments.

“He said Harry shouldn’t go forward because it is controversial and I think we should respect what Mary Tillman says.”

Mary Tillman is Pat’s mother, and she has expressed concern about the award being handed to the duke.

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