Fans claim Venus Williams snubbed Prince Harry by not joining standing ovation during ESPY Awards honor

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Prince Harry attended the ESPY Awards on Thursday, July 11, where he received the Pat Tillman Award. However, not everyone was pleased with the choice, as Venus Williams appeared to snub Harry and Meghan Markle.

Some fans assumed that the tennis legend, 44, shaded the Sussexes when the Duke, 39, received the Pat Tillman Award for Service and the proud Duchess, 42, leaped up and clapped for Harry.

Venus Williams allegedly snubbed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at 2024 ESPY Awards

A standing ovation swept across the audience when Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman Award during the ceremony. However, Williams, who sat next to the royal couple, stayed firmly planted in her chair and did not even give a single applause when his name was called.

In a video shared by ESPN on YouTube, Harry can be seen sprinting up to the stage to accept his award. However, Williams remained seated while with his wife and a large portion of the audience applauded the Prince.

The sporting icon — who happens to be Meghan's close friend Serena Williams' sister — was later seen in the video standing beside Meghan while Harry delivered his speech, per Daily Mail.

Harry accepted the Pat Tillman Award — named after the late NFL star Pat Tillman, who died while serving in the army — following criticism from the late serviceman's mother, Mary Tillman, regarding the award show’s decision.

The 39-year-old received recognition for starting the Invictus Games, an organization that helps sick and injured service members. However, the decision generated a great deal of criticism and backlash as Pat's mother, Mary, and other veterans rejected it.

The father of two addressed the goal of the Invictus Games in his acceptance speech, which is to build a "community" that emphasizes uniting individuals "no matter one’s nationality, background or personal struggles," per Page Six.

Fans react to video allegedly showing Venus Williams snubbing Prince Harry at the ESPYs

Social media users took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that tennis icon Venus Willimas "shaded" Prince Harry when the royal was given his Pat Tillman Award on Thursday night in a glamorous ceremony in Los Angeles.

One user claimed, "Are they still butt hurt that Venus and that whole front row shaded Harry… the video was even crystal clear".

A second user said, "Venus did not stand up or clap… ooooh the shade. And the side eye from the audience was strong."

"Where’s the evidence of Venus doing a standing ovation when Harry went to collect his award? Show us the proof u liar. We r not talking abt the mum,we r talking abt Venus u," remarked one.

One added, "No claim whatsoever! It's there perfectly on video for all to see... Venus see's straight through Markle's facade".

However, some conjectured that Williams' front-row location prevented her from seeing what the other participants were doing.

"A lot of people are not standing - everyone else probably just felt pressured to," claimed one.

"Lots of people in the audience didn’t bother to stand," said another.

Another remarked, "You don't have to be a "royal fan" to notice the "snub." It was pretty obvious to anyone who caught the show. From what I've heard, the Harkles were snubbed by most ppl there. They were clearly not wanted."

"Not only did she snub them, but she also looked pissed!" exclaimed one.

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