Prince Harry To Receive High Honor At Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards

After two tours of military duty and extensive humanitarian work as a veteran, The Duke of SussexPrince Harry will receive an honor at the 21st Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards. Harry has previously spoken about how his time in the military turned the pain from his mother, Princess Diana's death, "into purpose."

The prince spoke about being able to focus on a larger purpose and feeling normal without the pass he usually gets for being Royal. The honor comes amid further ridicule of him and his wife, Meghan Markle, during the recent Golden Globe Awards, the latest of jokes aimed at the royal couple.

At the upcoming 21st Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards, Prince Harry will receive an honor for his years as a British Army pilot and veteran. The event will be held in Beverly Hills on January 19th and hosted by John Travolta.

Harry's military record includes two tours of duty as a forward air controller and an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan. The awards body also recognizes his work in the Invictus Games Foundation. However, it's not yet clear if Harry or his wife, Meghan Markle, will attend the event and receive the honor in person.

According to the website, the award celebrates "remarkable people of extraordinary accomplishment in aviation," and every year, they meet to induct and honor new leaders in the industry. Other inductees for 2024 include Steve Hinton, Fred George, and Marc Parent, and some honourees include Kyle Clark, Mark Burns, and Lauren Sánchez.

According to the website, the Aviation Legends body recognized Harry's extensive efforts outside his military work. This includes being a "humanitarian, mental wellness advocate, and environmentalist" with credits for his work with African Parks, Travalyst, WellChild, and The Archewell Foundation.

The body also praised Harry for his "compassion, vulnerability, and unflinching honesty" in his controversial memoir "Spare." Harry's time in the army spanned a decade, and by his exit, he had reached the rank of Captain. He served as an Apache Helicopter pilot for four months during his second tour in Afghanistan, spanning September 2012 to January 2013.

The Duke has previously said his time in the army inspired him to create Invictus Games. The games are an opportunity to help former military officers by providing a competition for them similar to the Paralympics. Many military men welcomed the event, and it has received heavy praise.

Harry has previously spoken about how his time in the military "saved" his life after losing his mother, Princess Diana, by helping him turn the "pain into purpose." During a 2023 interview on "60 Minutes," the Duke said being a military man was his "calling" in life.

He said, per Daily Mail, "My military career saved me in many regards. It got me out of the spotlight from the UK press. I was able to focus on a purpose larger than myself - to be wearing the same uniform as everybody else, to feel normal for the first time in my life, and accomplish some of the biggest challenges that I ever had."

Harry explained to host Anderson Cooper at the time that in the military, there wasn't a "pass for being a prince," and he had to put in as much work and time as everyone else. He jokingly added, "There's no prince autopilot button you can press and just wiff - takes you away."

The announcement of Harry's upcoming honor and induction comes amid Hollywood's further ridicule of him and Meghan. On Sunday night, during the Golden Globe award ceremony, host Jo Koy used the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as the butt of a joke.

He said Harry and Meghan were paid "millions of dollars for doing absolutely nothing - and that's just by Netflix," which generated a lot of laughter, even from Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos. Koy further said Imelda Staunton's portrayal of the late Queen Elizabeth II in "The Crown" "was so good Prince Harry called her and asked her for money."

The jokes at the couple's expense during the Golden Globes are just the latest over the past year. In early 2023, a South Park episode titled "The Worldwide Privacy Tour" referenced Harry and Meghan on a publicity tour around multiple countries to promote the Duke's book "Waaagh." Then the couple were mocked again in an episode of "Family Guy."