Prince Harry named 'living legend of aviation'
Entertainment
Receives award, remembers mother, remains silent on royal family's recent issues
(Web Desk) - Prince Harry paid tribute to his mother Diana as he received a Living Legends of Aviation Award on Friday.
"This is nice," the Duke of Sussex said as he accepted his award from actor, pilot and aviation ambassador John Travolta, who hosted the event at the Beverly Hills Hilton. "Thanks very much, Captain John."
"I was one year old when you danced with my mum. As you've told everybody here and continue to dine out on that probably every single night," he joked.
"But look at us now. It's great. So if we're not going to dance together, we'll fly together."
Harry was honored for his service as a helicopter in the British Army, flying training missions in the U.S., U.K. and Australia and combat missions during two tours in Afghanistan.
U.S. Navy pilot Fred George, former world speed record holder Steve Hinton, CAE CEO Marc Parent and Jeff Bezos' fiancée Lauren Sánchez, a helicopter pilot who founded an aerial filming company in sixteen, were also recognized as having "made significant contributions to aviation/aerospace."
Previously inducted "living legends" include Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Tom Cruise, Neil Armstrong, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman and Elon Musk.
Prince Harry was not accompanied by wife Meghan Markle and made no mention of the royal family's recent medical issues.
Kate Middleton in the midst of a two-week hospital stay at the London Clinic while recovering from abdominal surgery this week, and King Charles is preparing to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate.
"For me, flying has been a transcendent experience. A close encounter with magic, an invitation to both protect freedom ... and to feel free, and, funny enough, an opportunity to ground oneself, without actually being grounded," Harry said during his speech.
"I find my flight training — which was over the course of three years — to be one of life's greatest lessons. It triggered a vast array of feelings."
Congratulations #PrinceHarry on being inducted to Living Legends of Aviation Hall of Fame #LivingLegendOfAviationAwards pic.twitter.com/7RBzSsE6c8
— Renee (@Aditiya_renee) January 20, 2024
