Prince Harry.Photo:KarlLarsenPRphotos/BACKGRID

Prince Harry

KarlLarsenPRphotos/BACKGRID

Prince Harryis being honored at the Living Legends of Aviation Awards.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, attended the 21st Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills on Friday night.Meghan Markledidn’t join her husband at the event.

In a videoposted on social mediafrom the event, Prince Harry took to the stage to accept his award from Travolta, 69, who placed it around his neck amid cheers from the audience.“This is nice,” he said, prompting laughter from the crowd.“Thank you, Captain John,” Prince Harry continued, looking towards the actor who had walked away from the center of the stage.

“Don’t go running away,” he jokingly said, adding, “I was one year old when you danced with my mum,” — a reference to the famous dance between his mother,Princess Diana, and theSaturday Night Feveractor, which took place at the White House in November 1985.

The Duke then went on to joke that Travolta had told “everybody here” and would continue “dining out on that.”

Prince Harry

“But look at us now, it’s great! So if we’re not going to dance together, we’ll fly together,” he told Travolta, before jokingly saying, “That’s it, thank you,” and making a fun gesture pretending to usher the actor away from the stage.

Prince Harry then went on to offer “a heartfelt thank you to the Living Legends of Aviation.”

Prince Harry served as a helicopter pilot during his decade in the British Army, flying training missions in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, as well as combat missions in Afghanistan.

Prince Harry was awarded his Flying Wings in 2010 following completion of the eight-month Army Pilot Course with the Army Aviation Centre, learning to fly the Firefly fixed-wing aircraft and the Squirrel helicopter and accumulating approximately 220 flying hours. Harry spent 3½ years in training and operational service with the Apache Force during his time with the Army Air Corps, winning the prize for best co-pilot gunner during training and becoming a fully operational Apache pilot in February 2012.

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

Speakingexclusively with PEOPLEaround the release of his memoirSparelast year, the Duke of Sussex spoke about his experience in the British Army and his deeply personal work with service members.

“I don’t know that you ever fully reconcile the painful elements of being at war. This is something each soldier has to confront, and in the nearly two decades of working alongside service personnel and veterans, I’ve listened to their stories and have shared mine,” Prince Harry told 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.John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty

In this image released on January 21, 2013, Prince Harry makes early morning checks as he sits on an Apache helicopter at the British controlled flight-line at Camp Bastion on December 12, 2012

John Stillwell - WPA Pool/Getty

Earlier this week, the Duke of Sussexhit the gymin Santa Barbara the day before the palace made announcements aboutKate Middleton’s successfulabdominal surgeryandKing Charles’ upcoming procedure for anenlarged prostate.

On Thursday,Prince Williamvisited Princess Kateat The London Clinic, where Kensington Palace said she was expected to stay for 10 to 14 days after surgery, andQueen Camillagave an updateon how King Charles was doing.

“He’s fine, thank you very much. 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.

King Charles and Queen Camilla lead the royal family’s walk to church on Christmas at Sandringham on Dec. 25, 2023.Samir Hussein/WireImage

King Charles III, Queen Camilla, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince George of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales andMia Tindall attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church

Samir Hussein/WireImage

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Prince Harry and Meghan settled in Montecito after relocating to her home state with their sonPrince Archie, 4, in 2020. Their daughterPrincess Lilibet, 2, was born in California in 2021.

source: people.com