Prince Harry (39) will be honored as a “living legend of aviation” – and John Travolta (69) will host the gala. Through the “Grease” star, Harry has a connection to his late mother: Travolta once danced with Princess Diana (1961-1997) in the White House.
The Duke of Sussex is among four people to be honored at the 21st annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills on Friday, January 19. This was announced on Wednesday. The event honors “those who have made significant contributions to aerospace.” The fact that the renegade British prince is being considered may seem strange at first glance. Yes: During his military service, Prince Harry served in the British Army as a helicopter pilot and flew training missions in the USA, Great Britain and Australia as well as combat missions in Afghanistan.
He received his Flying Wings in 2010 after completing the eight-month Army Pilot Course at the Army Aviation Center. He learned to fly the Firefly fixed-wing helicopter and the Squirrel helicopter and accumulated approximately 220 flight hours. During his time in the Army Air Corps, Harry spent three and a half years in training and operational service with the Apache Force, winning the Best Co-Pilot Gunner award during training and becoming a fully operational Apache Pilot in February 2012.
Harry doesn’t just share a passion for flying with the gala presenter, John Travolta. The 69-year-old also knew Harry’s mother Diana, so the two men may be able to remember her together that evening. The actor famously danced with Lady Di at a state dinner at the White House in 1985, the images went around the world and became legendary.
In an interview with Esquire Mexico in 2021, Travolta looked back on the famous moment: “I didn’t think they would ask me to dance with her. I had the great privilege and honor to do that, and I thought, ‘There must be a reason for this and I better do my best.'” He continued, “That meant directing the dance well and making sure we had fun. That was the easy part, but just the fact “Greeting Diana appropriately, being confident and asking her to dance was a complicated task.”
The actor said the experience felt like a “fairytale” that he would remember for decades. “Think about the setting. We were in the White House. It’s midnight. The stage is like a dream. I walk up to her, touch her elbow and invite her to dance,” he recalled vividly. “She turns and gives me this lovely smile, just a little sad, and accepts my invitation.” He added: “Who could have ever imagined that one day something like this would happen to you? I was smart enough to remember it as a very special, magical moment.”
In addition to Prince Harry and John Travolta, other prominent participants are expected at the gala in Los Angeles. Among others, “Star Trek” star William Shatner (92) and actor Kurt Russell (72) are on the guest list. However, it is not yet known whether Harry’s wife Meghan (42) will accompany him.
