12 January 2024 , 17:47
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Prince Harry is set to be presented with an award by actor and close pal John Travolta at the 21st annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards.
The Hollywood star's ties to Harry go as far back as 1985, when he danced with his mother, Princess Diana at a White House gala dinner. The duo danced for 15 minutes to songs including You're The One That I Want from his 1978 hit film Grease, in what the 69-year-old has called the "highlight of his life".
Sources have insisted that Harry and his wife Meghan Markle "get on extremely well" with John and have met up with him previously, including one meeting last year at The Beverly Hill hotel's VIP Polo Lounge. They shared food and drinks at a party for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell foundation.
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John and Princess Diana danced together in 1985 (Tim Graham/Getty Images)Insiders told The Sun that amid their reunion with John at the event, Harry and Meghan are "focused on working and enjoying time out with friends” at the event. John will present the award, which was set up to honour those who have made significant contributions to aviation and aerospace, to Harry this weekend.
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The royal has faced backlash after it was announced he will be honoured for his contribution to aviation and aerospace while working as a British Army veteran and pilot. Harry completed two tours of Afghanistan as a forward air controller and an Apache helicopter.
Harry and Meghan will reunite with John at the awards (REX/Shutterstock)He opened up about his military service in his debut memoir Spare and revealed he killed 25 people while on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. Some commentators are angry that Harry has been included in the Living Legends of Aviation Awards, with one suggesting he was "number two" in his own aircraft.
Retired military officer Colonel Richard Kemp said: "He was a gunner in an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan but so were many, many other people. I can think of many people who did pretty extraordinary things while serving in the British and American armed forces which would be much more deserving."
Harry will be presented with an awardSpeaking to The Sun, he suggested Harry is being honoured "because of who he is - not what he did". He added: "An Apache is crewed by two people - a pilot and a gunner. Harry was a gunner. He was number two in the aircraft."
Meghan and Harry's enduring friendship with the Saturday Night Fever star prove that they still have some celebrity friends remaining, after things turned salty between the Sussexes and their friends, Victoria and David Beckham.
Tensions rose when the couple allegedly had a suspicion that the Beckhams leaked stories about Meghan's relationship with Victoria to the press - a claim the former Spice Girl denied and left David reportedly feeling "absolutely bloody furious."
The Beckhams - who attended Harry and Meghan's wedding - are reportedly not friends with the couple anymore (AFP/Getty Images)A source close to the Beckhams told the Mail on Sunday: "David and Victoria went to Meghan and Harry's wedding and were very supportive when Meghan arrived in the UK." The source added: "Any making up now is so unlikely."