Prince Harry accuses John Travolta of ‘dining out’ on dance with Princess Diana

Princess Diana dances with John Travolta in Cross Hall at the White House during an official dinner on November 9, 1985 in Washington, DC. Photo / The White House

The Duke of Sussex accused John Travolta of “dining out” on the story of dancing with his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, speaking at an awards ceremony in California on Friday.

Prince Harry hugged the Hollywood actor and clapped him on the shoulder before taking to a podium for his acceptance speech for a Legends of Aviation Award.

“This is nice,” he said, smoothing down the ribbon of his medal. “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.”

It was the Duke’s first public appearance since the news of King Charles III’s enlarged prostate diagnosis.

To audience laughter at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, the Duke appeared to hold his hand up to jokingly dismiss Travolta, adding: “Thank you, that’s it, we’re done.”

The Prince was named a “Living Legend of Aviation” on the recommendation of Travolta, who was hosting the awards, in recognition of his role as an Apache helicopter pilot in two military tours in 2007 and 2012.

The Duke described his time in the air while serving in Afghanistan as “being up in God’s playground”.

Prince Harry served in the British Army and was deployed on two separate operations in Afghanistan. Photo / Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

The Grease and Saturday Night Fever star asked him: “What can you remember about your first flight?”

He joked in reply: “It’s classified.”

The Duke, wearing a dinner jacket and bow tie, posed with Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe, a minor German royal who is a cousin of the outgoing Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II.

Prince Mario-Max shared a picture of the pair on social media, writing: “Congratulations To HRH Prince Harry for his VERY MUCH DESERVED Living Legends of Aviation Award.”

The ceremony was the Duke’s first public appearance since news broke of the King’s upcoming treatment for an enlarged prostate.

Congratulations To HRH Prince Harry for his VERY MUCH DESERVED Living Legends of Aviation Award @livinglegendsofaviation @beverlyhilton @archewell_sussex_ @thearchewellorganization @theroyalfamily ✨ H.H. Dr. Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe ✨ Well Done !… pic.twitter.com/QzGWdo6ueP

— Prince Mario-Max SL (@SchaumburgLippe) January 20, 2024

The Princess of Wales, the Duke’s sister-in-law, is currently in hospital at The London Clinic, recovering from abdominal surgery. Kensington Palace has said she is not likely to return to royal duties until after Easter.

Despite rumours that Prince Harry would appear with his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, he appeared to attend the ceremony alone and skipped a red carpet appearance to receive his award over dinner.

Catherine Hardwicke, the director of the film Twilight, said that the Duke had given a speech in which he referred to “taking off and being up in God’s playground” and feeling a “taste of magic” in the air.

He also thanked members of the armed forces he served with in Afghanistan.

The Duke has previously drawn criticism when discussing his military record after he revealed in his memoir, Spare, that he had killed more than two dozen Taliban fighters while serving as an Apache gunman in 2012 and 2013.

“My number is 25. It’s not a number that fills me with satisfaction, but nor does it embarrass me,” he wrote.

Prince Harry attended the Living Legends of Aviation Awards without his wife, Meghan Markle. Photo / AP

The “distasteful” comments were criticised by several former military commanders, who said discussing “kill counts” was “not how you behave in the Army”.

The Duke later said claims that he had “boasted” about the killings were a “dangerous lie,” telling the American talk show host Stephen Colbert: “My whole goal and my attempt with sharing that detail is to reduce the number of [veteran] suicides.”

The awards night was also attended by Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos’s fiancée, who received the Elling Halvorson Vertical Flight Hall of Fame Award for her founding of an aerial film and production company.

Prince Harry joins other celebrity recipients of the award, including Bezos, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, and Elon Musk.

A source said the award was designed to recognise Prince Harry’s aviation achievements and “astonishing commitment to helping those in and out of the military, promoting awareness of the triumphs and travails of that life”.

Announcing the award earlier this month, Living Legends of Aviation 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.”

He was inducted into the aviation hall of fame on Friday night alongside US Navy pilot Fred George, former world speed record holder Steve Hinton, and the CEO of Canadian aviation simulation company CAE, Marc Parent.

‘Egos massaged’

However, the award has also caused some controversy among military figures.

Admiral Lord West, a former First Sea Lord, said: “He is not a living legend. There are lots of people who deserve to be called this but not Prince Harry.

“I find it extraordinary he has been picked. He didn’t carry off any great exciting feat of amazing flying skill while flying for the Army.”

Col Richard Kemp, a retired British Army officer, said the ceremony was about “celebrities massaging each other’s egos”.

The ceremony in Beverly Hills is hosted annually, and costs up to US$1600 ($2612) for a table of six guests. A ticket to the afterparty is US$600 ($979).