The Duke of Sussex made his first appearance of 2024 on Friday January 19, as he was inducted into the "Living Legends of Aviation" and gave a "lovely speech, thanking others, not only accepting it for himself".
Prince Harry, 39, made a solo appearance - despite rumours his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex would be joining him - as he was honored for his work as a British Army veteran, skipping the red carpet and sneaking in to the Beverly Hilton hotel, in Beverly Hills, California, via the back doors.
Wearing a black velvet tuxedo, paired with a white shirt, the father-of-two was put on the spot by host John Travolta in the actor's opening remarks, with the Grease star asking the audience: "What can you remember about your first flight?"
The royal then remarked: "It's classified," to laughter from the room.
Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, who appeared on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, shared a picture from inside the ballroom, after taking a selfie with Harry, and he later spoke to HELLO! about the encounter.
"I am very very happy that he is the focus of the night, and he deserves it," he said, adding: "He has been through a lot being so public and it is a very personal moment of joy for him. What I like to do is congratulate him for the big award, and I think we all should – how many big moments in life do we all have? It is very few and this is a very big moment.
"I congratulated him for being such an accomplished pilot, and I saw that he was very touched, it is a big award and it is very well deserved. He gave the most lovely speech, thanking others, not only accepting it for himself, but also the aviation industry for making things happen [such as] engineers. I am very happy [for] him. He is fabulous, very humble and sweet."
All guests at the gala were also given model airplanes and helicopters to take home with them.
Twilight director Catherine Hardwicke was in attendance to celebrate her friend Lauren Sanchez, and she called the Prince's speech "poetic".
"He talked about taking off and being up in God's playground, up in the clouds, and he talked about the taste of magic [being up there,] it was poetic," she shared
© Alberto E. RodriguezLauren Sanchez, who is engaged to Jeff Bezos, received the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award.
Catherine earlier told HELLO! that the evening was "dazzling," joking that "her head was going to explode" at the idea of being in the same room as British royalty.
Gregory Feith was honored by the organisation in 2016 after a lifetime in aviation safety, and he praised the induction of Harry for "drawing young people to the industry, and that's what it is all about, getting young people involved, and Pricne Harry, and his name and accomplishments, draws attention to an organisation like this".
The event was set up in 2003 to honour those who make significant contributions to aviation and aerospace.
The Duke 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 ten years in the military, rising to the rank of Captain.
Harry has taken his place alongside other aviation and aerospace "legends" including Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Elon Musk and Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud.
This year's recipients also included US navy pilot Fred George and former world speed record holder Steve Hinton.
© GettyAnnouncing the news earlier this month, the award's website said: "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."
Following his army career, Harry has continued to support his fellow servicemen and women.
© GettyThe Duke founded the Invictus Games in 2014, an international adaptive multi-sport event in which wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans participate. It celebrates the power of sport in recovery and how it can help, physically or psychologically, those suffering from injuries or illness.
The first Invictus Games took place in London and since then has been held in Orlando in 2016, Toronto in 2017, Sydney in 2018, the Hague in 2022 and most recently, Düsseldorf in 2023.
The 2025 tournament will take place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.
