Prince Harry jokingly accused John Travolta of ‘dining out’ on the story of his dance with Princess Diana as he stepped out in Los Angeles to be honoured as a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’.

The Duke of Sussex was presented with the prestigious award by Travolta who famously danced with his late mother at a White House dinner for President Ronald Reagan in 1985.

Prince Harry embraced the Hollywood star and private pilot and referred to him as ‘Captain John’ before giving an acceptance speech at last night’s Beverly Hills bash.

Addressing the audience at the Beverly Hills Hilton, Harry inspected his medal and said: ‘This is nice. Thanks very much, Captain John.

‘I was one-year-old when you danced with my mum. As you’ve told everybody here and continue to dine out on that probably every single night.

‘But look at us now! It’s great. So if we’re not going to dance together, we’ll fly together.’

Harry, Living Legends Of Aviation

pic.twitter.com/1xoGbvvwAr

— ⚜️TV Fanatic⚜️ (@TvKhaleesi) January 20, 2024

+26

Prince Harry accepts his award as a Living Legend of Aviation at the glitzy awards ceremony in Los Angeles

+26

Travolta danced with Diana at a White House dinner in 1985 — when the princess was just 24 years old

Princess Diana attends party held by the Reagan’s at the White House

+26

President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy can be seen looking on as Travolta dances with Diana during the chance encounter

+26

The award was presented by legendary actor – and famed private pilot – John Travolta (pictured), who reminisced about dancing with Harry’s mother Diana at the White House

+26

Prince Harry is seen at the gala on Friday night with Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe

Prince Harry’s ‘Living Legend’ award at glitzy Beverley Hills bash

+26

The prince is seen arriving for Friday’s event in Los Angeles

+26

The 39-year-old attended without his wife, Meghan Markle, for the awards ceremony. She was reportedly at home looking after their children, one of whom had taken unwell

+26

Prince Harry’s bodyguards were seen carrying his Living Legend of Aviation awards in boxes marked ‘FRAGILE’ to a waiting car

+26

The boxes were labelled ‘handle with care’ – and came with their own carry handles for his security staff

The Telegraph reports that as the audience laughed, the duke appeared to hold his hand up to jokingly dismiss Travolta, adding: ‘Thank you, that’s it, we’re done.’

Travolta, himself a pilot, was reportedly the driving force behind Harry receiving the award after feeling an affinity for the prince after dancing with Diana – though the prince’s nomination angered some military pilots who felt it was unearned.

He was in high spirits on Friday as he joined Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, a 46-year-old minor German royal and cousin of outgoing Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II, and others at the Beverly Hills Hilton – and did not mention his sister in law Kate or dad Charles’ medical dramas.

Harry was not accompanied by wife Meghan, who had been expected to attend; she was not present as one of their children became unwell, according to a report from the PA news agency.

The Duke of Sussex 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 10 years in the military, rising to the rank of Captain, and later founded the Invictus Games – a sporting event for wounded military personnel and veterans.

On stage, Travolta asked him of his time flying for the Army: ‘What can you remember about your first flight?’

Harry quipped back: ‘It’s classified.’

Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, who grabbed a photo with Harry at the awards, later called the moment between Harry and Travolta on-stage ‘very touching and sweet’.

‘John Travolta presented the award and he referred to the dance with his mother Princess Diana, (when) Prince Harry was one year old so he’s like, ‘Now I see you again under a new circumstance, on a new stage’,’ he said.

‘That was very touching and very sweet because we all remember how gorgeous the dance was of John Travolta and Princess Diana, and now Princess Diana’s son is getting an award from John Travolta. It was the cutest, most touching moment.’

In his speech, Harry went on to thank the Living Legends of Aviation awards for the ‘incredible honour’, adding that he is ‘proud to be recognised among such a dynamic and inspiring group of individuals’.

Harry takes his place alongside other aviation and aerospace ‘legends’ including Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Tom Cruise, Neil Armstrong, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman and Elon Musk.

He continued: ‘For me, flying has been a transcendent experience. A close encounter with magic, an invitation to both protect freedom… and to feel free, and, funny enough, an opportunity to ground oneself, without actually being grounded.

‘I find my flight training — which was over the course of three years— to be one of life’s greatest lessons. It triggered a vast array of feelings.’

+26

Harry is pictured in March 2011 standing in front of an Apache Helicopter a few days after the royal passed the half-decade milestone to become a captain in the British Army

+26

Harry is seen in December 2012 working as a helicopter pilot in Afghanistan

+26

Lauren Sanchez, who founded an aerial filming company in 2016, was also celebrated on Friday night

+26

Sanchez is a helicopter pilot and businesswoman: she joins her fiance Jeff Bezos among those now recognized for their contribution to aviation

+26

Miss California Teen USA Taliya Peiris (left) and Miss California USA Tianna Clark at the Living Legends of Aviation awards

+26

Film director Catherine Hardwicke, who directed the 2008 film adaptation Twilight, attended the awards

+26

NBC News senior correspondent Tom Costello also attended the Living Legends of Aviation awards in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles

He did not allude to the medical dramas for his family on the other side of the Atlantic; Kate Middleton is part-way through a two-week stay in hospital after undergoing surgery, while King Charles is being treated for an enlarged prostate.

Kate underwent ‘planned abdominal surgery’ earlier this week that was ‘successful’, Kensington Palace said on Wednesday, adding that she will remain in the London Clinic for up to two weeks.

‘Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter,’ the Palace said.

Details of the surgery have not been made public; sources told the Daily Mail that her condition is ‘non cancerous’. Kate is not expected to resume her public duties until sometime after Easter.

Kensington Palace added: ‘The Princess Of Wales wishes to apologise to all those concerned for the fact that she has to postpone her upcoming engagements.

‘She looks forward to reinstating as many as possible, as soon as possible.’

Prince William was pictured leaving the London Clinic on Thursday, having taken some time away from royal duties to be with his wife and look after their children in the coming weeks.

An hour and a half after Kensington Palace’s announcement, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III would also be undergoing treatment in hospital next week for his enlarged prostate.

The King was pictured returning to Sandringham on Friday with Queen Camilla to rest ahead of the planned surgery, flying more than 300 miles on an RAF jet from Aberdeen Airport to RAF Marham.

Speaking in Aberdeen earlier this week, following the news of the health scare, Camilla said: ‘He’s fine, thank you very much. Looking forward to getting back to work.’

+26

King Charles is seen leaving RAF Marham on his way to Sandringham in Norfolk today after the announcement that he was due to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate

+26

The King and Queen Camilla, in the back seats, arrive at Sandringham earlier this week

Queen Camilla says King is ‘fine’ as he awaits treatment

+26

William drove a new electric Audi to be with his wife Kate in a private London hospital earlier this week. She will be there for up to a fortnight

+26

Prince William, Prince of Wales, drives himself away from the London Clinic in London where his wife Kate, Princess of Wales, underwent abdominal surgery

+26

Police officers stand guard outside The London Clinic in Marylebone today

Prince William visits Kate as she spends her third day in hospital

Harry’s nomination for the aviation award angered some top former British military officials.

Lord West, former head of the Royal Navy, said: ‘He is not a living legend of aviation. To suggest he is is pathetic. It makes the whole thing seem a bit of a nonsense if they’re willing to pick someone like Prince Harry.

‘He didn’t carry off any great exciting feat of amazing flying skill while flying for the Army. They’re just trying to get publicity. They know it will cause a stir.’

Retired officer Colonel Richard Kemp said that Harry was ‘a brave guy’ and his role in Afghanistan was ‘undoubtedly very dangerous’.

But he said that there are ‘helicopter pilots who have done much more extraordinary things in Iraq and Afghanistan, risking their lives to rescue their fellow soldiers.’

The Living Legends of Aviation website also praised the duke for his work with charities and organizations including Travalyst, Sentebale, African Parks and WellChild.

A statement on its 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.’

Harry was inducted alongside US navy pilot Fred George and former world speed record holder Steve Hinton, as well as Lauren Sanchez – a helicopter pilot who is engaged to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

She is set to receive the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award for her skills as a helicopter pilot and aviation businesswoman, having founded aerial filming company Black Ops Aviation in 2016.

The duke’s appearance comes as his father, the King, prepared to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate next week, while his sister-in-law the Princess of Wales recovers from abdominal surgery in the London Clinic.

Kate is not expected to resume public duties until well into the spring.