Prince Harry pays tribute to Diana as he attends Living Legends of Aviation Awards amid Charles and Kate health scare

20 January 2024, 07:50 | Updated: 20 January 2024, 07:59

Prince Harry paid tribute to Diana as he attended the Living Legends of Aviation Awards on Friday amid a double royal health scare.

Harry attended the ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, where was honoured for his work as a British Army veteran and pilot.

The 39-year-old completed two tours of Afghanistan as a forward air controller and an Apache helicopter pilot, having flown countless training missions in the UK, US and Australia.

He served for 10 years in the military, rising to the rank of Captain, and later founded the Invictus Games for wounded military personnel and veterans.

Harry arrived at the event without Meghan as he was inducted into the "Living Legends of Aviation" by actor and aviation ambassador John Travolta.

Accepting his award from the actor, Harry said: "I was just a one-year-old when you danced with my mum at the White House and now look at us."

He added: "The only thing left to do is... not dance together but fly together."

Read more: Prince Harry faces £750,000 bill after abandoning libel claim against Mail on Sunday over security row

Read more: Prince Harry and Andrew quietly snubbed as Buckingham Palace sidelines them from serving as Counsellors of State

Harry described his time in the air while serving as “being up in God’s playground” but when asked what he remembered of his first flight joked: “It’s classified.”

His appearance came as his father, King Charles, prepares to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate in hospital next week and his sister-in-law, Kate, recovers from abdominal surgery in the London Clinic.

Harry was inducted alongside US navy pilot Fred George and former world speed record holder Steve Hinton, as well as Lauren Sanchez - who is engaged to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Other aviation and aerospace "legends" including Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Tom Cruise, Neil Armstrong, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman and Elon Musk.

A statement from the event site read: "Prince Harry is a humanitarian, military veteran, mental wellness advocate and environmentalist.

"He has dedicated his life to advancing causes that he is passionate about and that bring about permanent change for people and places."

Harry's appearance at the awards came just hours after withdrawing his High Court libel claim against the publisher of the Mail on Sunday.

He sued Associated Newspapers Limited over an article published in February 2022 concerning his legal battle with the Home Office over security.

He claimed the story falsely suggested he had "lied" and "cynically" tried to manipulate public opinion.

But ahead of a deadline to hand over relevant documents, the Duke of Sussex’s lawyers informed the High Court on Friday that he was “discontinuing” his case.

He faces having to pay the newspaper’s costs of £250,000 along with his own lawyers’ fees, meaning a total legal bill of more than £750,000.