Prince Harry Steps Out Solo to Accept Aviation Award in Beverly Hills

Prince Harry was honored at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, attended the 21st Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills on Friday night. Meghan Markle did not join her husband at the event.

The Kiddie Hawk Air Academy announced last week that Prince Harry was one of four people inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation. The awards honor “those who have made significant contributions to aviation/space,” and the event is hosted by John Travolta, the “Official Ambassador of Aviation.”

The Living Legends of Aviation Awards are organized by the Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, a non-profit organization that works to foster children’s interest in aviation through education. Other inductees this year include Navy pilot Fred George, president and CEO of CAE (formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics), Marc Parent and Steve Hinton, the American pilot who held the world speed record from 1979 to 1989. Lauren Sánchez is set to receive the ” Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award,” with William Shatner, Kurt Russell and Kenny G also expected to attend.

Prince Harry served as a helicopter pilot for decades in the British Army, flying training missions in the US, UK and Australia, as well as combat missions in Afghanistan.

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Prince Harry hits the gym in Santa Barbara a day before Kate Middleton and King Charles surgery news

Prince Harry received his Flying Wings in 2010 after completing an eight-month Army Pilot Course at the Army Aviation Center, learning to fly a Firefly fixed-wing aircraft and a Squirrel helicopter and accumulating approximately 220 hours of flight time. Harry spent 3 1/2 years in training and operational service with the Apache Force during his time in the Army Air Corps, winning the award for best gunner co-pilot during training and becoming a fully operational Apache pilot in February 2012.

Prince Harry wore a classic black tuxedo to the black tie event. Inside, he took a photo with Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, who posted a smiling selfie on Instagram.

Living Legends of Aviation also praised the Duke of Sussex as the creator of the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style sports competition for wounded military personnel and veterans that he launched in 2014.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE about the publication of his memoir Spare last year, the Duke of Sussex spoke about his experience in the British Army and his deeply personal work with members of the military.

“I don’t know if you ever fully come to terms with the painful elements of war. It’s something every soldier has to deal with, and in almost two decades of working with military personnel and veterans, I’ve heard their stories and I’ve shared mine,” the prince said. Harry for PEOPLE.

“In these conversations, we often talk about the parts of our service that haunt us – the lives lost, the lives taken. But also the parts of our service that heal us and the lives we’ve saved,” he said.

Prince Harry in Afghanistan in 2012.

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Prince Harry will be honored as a ‘living legend of aviation’ — hosted by John Travolta!

Earlier this week, the Duke of Sussex hit the gym in Santa Barbara a day before the palace announced Kate Middleton’s successful abdominal surgery and King Charles’ upcoming prostate enlargement surgery.

On Thursday, Prince William visited Princess Kate at a London clinic, where Kensington Palace said she was expected to stay 10 to 14 days after the operation, and Queen Camilla reported that King Charles was doing well.

“I’m fine, thank you very much. I’m looking forward to getting back to work,” Queen Camilla said during a stop at the Aberdeen Art Gallery in Scotland after someone asked how the king was doing.

King Charles and Queen Camilla lead the royal family’s walk to church on Christmas Day in Sandringham on December 25, 2023.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

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Prince Harry and Meghan settled in Montecito after moving to her state in 2020 with their son Prince Archie (4). Their daughter Princess Lilibet (2) was born in California in 2021.

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Source: HIS Education