Prince Harry is being honoured with a special award for his service as a military helicopter pilot, but the accolades have spurred debate on whether he’s worthy of joining the ranks of other past notable recipients, including former astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
The Duke of Sussex, 36, will be inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation Hall of Fame next week, in a ceremony hosted by John Travolta.
Royal journalist Omid Scobie shared the news on X (formerly Twitter) Wednesday, sparking plenty of comments congratulating the royal, as well as many people asking “why?”
“I look forward to every other military pilot in the world being given the same award based on his accomplishments in that field,” one person wrote on the platform.
“Is this a joke?” another person asked. “What is the legendary stuff that he has done? I am asking seriously! What the heck has he done?”
Others, however, jumped to the prince’s defence, pointing out his career accomplishments with the British military.
“Oh wow, how, wonderful news. Prince Harry deserves this, thank you LLA for recognizing Prince Harry. Congratulations are in order,” one person wrote.
“Congratulations Prince Harry. When Harry qualified to fly Apache attack helicopters in combat, he finished training as the best co-pilot gunner in his group. Back in 2014, Lieutenant Colonel Tom de la Rue, who commanded Harry said he (was) ‘the pinnacle of flying excellence,'” another pointed out.
Harry spent 10 years in the British military, serving as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan from 2012 to 2013, as well as flying training missions in the U.S., U.K. and Australia over the course of his career.
A statement on the event’s website credits the prince for “saving the lives of allied forces and countless civilians” during his combat missions.
The Living Legends of Aviation also praised Prince Harry as the creator of the Invictus Games, the sports competition for wounded service personnel and veterans.
However, Harry, who rose to the rank of Captain during his time in the military, sparked backlash last year when he wrote about his service in Afghanistan for his memoir, Spare.
In the book, Harry wrote he flew on six missions during his second tour in Afghanistan that resulted “in the taking of human lives.”
He says he thought of the 25 he killed as “chess pieces” rather than “people” and that he is neither proud nor ashamed of the deaths.
“So my number: 25. It was not something that filled me with satisfaction, but I was not ashamed either.”
While many were incensed at the prince for including his “kill count” in the book and he was accused of “boasting” about his time in service, Harry explained that he shared those memories and figures in an effort to help fellow veterans who struggle with PTSD and other mental health issues following war.
“I think the most important thing here is, not only the context, but the reason why I decided to share this in my book,” he said during an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert last January. “To the vets here and to the civilians here — which this may feel as though this is slightly a weird conversation to have, especially on this show of all shows — I made a choice to share it, because having spent nearly two decades working with veterans all around the world, I think the most important thing is to be honest and to be able to give space to others to be able to share their experiences without any shame.”
In addition to Harry, three other honorees will also be acknowledged for their contributions to the aviation field in the Jan. 19 ceremony, including former Navy pilot and world-renowned writer Fred George, CEO of flight training company CAE Inc. Marc Parent and former world speed record holder and film pilot Steve Hinton.
After he’s inducted, he will take his place alongside others, including Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Elon Musk and Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud.
This year’s star-studded event will also include William Shatner, Kenny G, Kurt Russell and others.
- Harvey Weinstein hospitalized after return to jail following rape conviction overturn
- California mom accidentally invites 487 people to child’s 1st birthday
- ‘Hiroshima-level casualties’ feared in final battle for North Darfur
- Canada is unblocking aid to Afghanistan but delay is ‘extremely frustrating’: advocate
Comments