Earlier this week, Prince Harry made a surprise public appearance to deepen his connection to a foundation that has become near and dear to his heart: on Wednesday, November 6, the Duke of Sussex attended the Pat Tillman Foundation's annual Tillman Honors Gala at the Union League Club in Chicago. The event was held at the Union League Club in Chicago.

According to a social media post from the foundation's Instagram account, the gala brought together “over 400 supporters” to congratulate the foundation's “notable Tillman Scholars” and raise much needed funds for the Tillman Scholars program.

A video shared on Instagram shows the Duke of Sussex participating in a leadership development roundtable with more than 40 Tillman Scholars prior to the dinner. His presence was a surprise to attendees, including retired NFL quarterback Jake Plummer.

Earlier this year, Prince Harry received the Pat Tillman Award at ESPY for his commitment to supporting veterans through the Invictus Games. The Duke of Sussex, himself a veteran of 10 years of service in the British Army, founded the game to help wounded soldiers.

For those who don't know, Pat Tillman is a former NFL player for the Arizona Cardinals who retired from football after the September 11, 2001 attacks and joined the US Army as a Ranger and was deployed overseas. Tillman was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2004 by friendly fire. He was 27 years old.

Posthumously, Tillman was awarded both the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his service.

After it was announced that the Duke of Sussex would be the recipient of this year's Pat Tillman Award, there was outcry from those who questioned the choice, including Tillman's mother.

At the time, Mary Tillman told the Daily Mail that she felt that others “active in the veterans community” could have been honored. However, at this year's gala, which celebrates its 20th anniversary, the Duke was seated next to Tillman's widow, Marie Tillman Shenton.

ESPN responded to the backlash by defending their choice to award Prince Harry with the coveted honor, telling TMZ Sports via statement: “ESPN, with the support of the Tillman Foundation, promotes healing through the power of sports for service members and veterans worldwide. Special recognition to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, for his work celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games Foundation.

“While we understand that not everyone will agree with every honoree selected for any award, the Invictus Games Foundation does great work and ESPN believes this is a worthy cause to celebrate,” the statement continued.