Prince Harry is set to be crowned a “living legend” of aviation alongside past notable inductees such as astronauts Buzz Aldrin and James Lovell.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, will be inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation at a ceremony hosted by Hollywood actor John Travolta on January 19 in Beverly Hills, California.
The event was set up to honour those who make significant contributions to aviation and aerospace.
Harry once served as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013 and flew training missions in the UK, US and Australia.
A statement on the event’s website describes him as “a British Army veteran and pilot with ten years military service, flying training missions in the US, UK and Australia, as well as combat missions in Afghanistan saving the lives of allied forces and countless civilians”.
Harry will take his place alongside other aviation and aerospace “legends” including Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Elon Musk and Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud.Other aerospace icons set to be inducted this year include US navy pilot Fred George and former world speed record holder Steve Hinton.
Prince Harry is to be inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation hall of fame, joining other aviators who have made "significant contributions in the aerospace industry", including Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong. A ceremony will take place in Beverly Hills, CA on January 19. pic.twitter.com/ZDr0ueWM2I
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) January 10, 2024
Harry was awarded his Flying Wings in 2010 after he finished an eight-month Army Pilot Course at the Army Aviation Centre. He learned how to fly the Firefly fixed-wing aircraft and the Squirrel helicopter, racking up about 220 flying hours.
During his three and a half years with the Army Air Corps, both in training and on duty with the Apache Force, Harry won the prize for best co-pilot gunner during training and became a fully operational Apache pilot by February 2012.
It comes after reports that Harry has been left out of a guide on Sandhurst graduates.
The focus of the book about the military academy is 200 high-profile alumni.
Prince William wrote the foreword and singer James Blunt is featured though Harry has been excluded.
Sandhurst said the guide "highlights the breadth of accomplishments across Sandhurst graduates rather than focusing on the most well-known".
