Harry’s f light of fancy
Former officers hit out over prince’s US accolade as ‘Living Legend of Aviation’
Prince Harry is set to be named as a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’ – sparking outrage and bemusement among top military veterans.
They described the accolade, which places the Duke of Sussex alongside the likes of Buzz Aldrin and neil Armstrong – the first men to walk on the Moon – as a ‘pathetic’ publicity stunt.
retired senior officers say that while Harry was rightly applauded for flying an Army helicopter in Afghanistan, it is his royal status which had seen him chosen over hundreds of equally worthy pilots.
Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, based in colorado, the organisation behind Harry’s gong, is a non-profit which seeks to spark an interest in aviation in young people.
Harry will be inducted as a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’ next Friday at an awards ceremony hosted by John Travolta in Beverly Hills, california. The duke’s work setting up the invictus Games Foundation will also be celebrated. it is not clear if Harry or his wife Meghan will attend.
A statement on the event’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.’
Harry completed two tours of Afghanistan as a forward air controller and an Apache helicopter co-pilot gunner. He served in the Army for ten years, rising to the rank of captain.
reacting to Harry’s accolade, 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’.
col Kemp highlighted how Harry’s role had been ‘number two’ in his Apache helicopter, acting as a gunner in Afghanistan. ‘The only possible difference i can see in Harry’s case is his celebrity status – the fact he’s a royal,’ he said, adding wryly: ‘Or perhaps it’s the frequency with which he travels by private jet which has seen him nominated for this award.’
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have frequently been accused of hypocrisy over their use of private jets to zip around the globe while at the same time speaking out about protecting the environment.
Harry has said he ‘occasionally’ had to travel by private jet to ‘ensure my family are safe’.