Prince Harry is slammed by retired Colonel who says he has been named as a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’ because of his ‘celebrity status’ as a Royal

Prince Harry will be named a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’, sparking outrage and bewilderment among top military veterans.

They described the award, 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 praised for flying an army helicopter in Afghanistan, it was his royal status that saw him chosen over hundreds of equally worthy pilots.

Colorado-based Kiddie Hawk Air Academy, the organization behind Harry’s gong, is a nonprofit organization that aims to spark an interest in aviation among young people.

Harry will be inducted as a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’ this Friday at an awards ceremony hosted by John Travolta in Beverly Hills, California. The Duke’s work in setting up the Invictus Games Foundation will also be celebrated. It is not clear whether Harry or his wife Meghan will attend.

Retired officer Colonel Richard Kemp (pictured) said Harry was ‘a brave guy’ and his role in Afghanistan was ‘undoubtedly very dangerous’. But he said there are “helicopter pilots who have done far more extraordinary things in Iraq and Afghanistan, risking their lives to save their fellow soldiers.”

A statement on the event’s website read: ‘Prince Harry is a humanitarian, military veteran, mental health advocate and environmentalist. He has dedicated his life to advancing causes he is passionate about and that create permanent change for people and places.”

Harry completed two tours of Afghanistan as a forward air controller and as a co-pilot gunner on an Apache helicopter. He served in the army for ten years and rose to the rank of captain.

Commenting on Harry’s award, 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 it all a bit nonsense when they are willing to choose someone like Prince Harry.

“He didn’t perform any great exciting feats of amazing flying skills while flying for the Army. They’re just trying to get publicity. They know it will cause an uproar.”

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

Harry will be inducted as a ‘Living Legend of Aviation’ this Friday at an awards ceremony hosted by John Travolta in Beverly Hills, California

But he said there are “helicopter pilots who have done far more extraordinary things in Iraq and Afghanistan, risking their lives to save their fellow soldiers.”

Colonel 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 that he is a Royal,” he said, adding wryly: “Or perhaps it is the frequency with which he travels by private jet that has got him nominated for this price. .’

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have often been accused of hypocrisy over their use of private jets to fly around the world, while at the same time speaking out about protecting the environment.

Harry has said he has had to travel on a private jet ‘occasionally’ to ‘make sure my family is safe’.