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Prince Harry surprised fans by making a public appearance to present the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year to Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward at the annual NFL Honors on February 8, 2024. This is the first time the Prince has been seen in a public event following his father's cancer diagnosis.
The Duke of Sussex, who made the 10-hour trip to the UK to visit King Charles on February 6, presented the award to Heyward, calling him a player "who goes above and beyond." He said:
"This final award -- the highest honor -- is all about serving your community. And there's one special man we'd like to pay tribute to now. A player who goes above and beyond and whose extraordinary commitment to helping others is a reflection of his own story."
Prince Harry's surprise visit garnered a positive response from fans, with many NFL supporters now claiming him as a fellow American.
Prince Harry's relationship with King Charles has been estranged since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, rescinded their royal duties and extricated themselves from the royal family in 2020. But the King's cancer diagnosis opened doors for a possible reconciliation as Harry flew to the UK to visit his father on Tuesday.
Netizens surprised to see Prince Harry following his father's cancer diagnosis
The well-documented rift between Prince Harry and his family, extensively covered in the 2021 Oprah Winfrey interview, the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, and Harry's tell-all memoir Spare, remains no secret.
Despite facing criticism from a huge sect of the British media, Harry has found support and acceptance among many Americans. His surprise appearance at the NFL Honors further solidified his status as one of their own, garnering admiration and recognition from the American public.
Prince Harry quipped about the US stealing rugby from the UK at the NFL Honors
According to Sky News, Prince Harry took to the stage at the NFL Honors event and joshed about how the United States "stole rugby from us, and you made it your own." He then praised the NFL players, calling them "truly remarkable." Harry continued:
"All kidding aside, what you guys do on and off the field is truly remarkable. You are role models for millions in the way you carry yourselves and the way you give back."
He presented the Man of the Year award to Cameron Heyward, who looked seemingly awestruck at collecting the honor from the Duke of Sussex.
According to Page Six, the 34-year-old NFL player was awarded for his work with The Heyward House, a non-profit founded in 2015 to help combat childhood hunger, childhood illiteracy, and cancer. Heyward, in his acceptance speech, said:
“There’s no act too small, there’s no act too big. We’re all trying to make a difference in so many people’s lives."
According to The Daily Mail, Prince Harry arrived at Clarence House on February 6, 2024, to visit his father following his cancer diagnosis. After a brief meeting that lasted around 30 minutes, the Prince and his entourage left, spending the night at a nearby hotel.
Just 26 hours after he arrived in the UK, he was back in Los Angeles, where he lives in Montecito with Markle and their children, Archie and Lilibet.
