Prince Harry's 'Living Legend' award draws criticism from experts

The claim that Prince Harry is a "living legend" in aviation has drawn criticism from specialists.

The 21st annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards, which take place next week, will honour the Prince for his contributions to aviation and aerospace. The royal performed combat flights in Afghanistan. Next Friday, the glamorous awards ceremony will take place in Beverly Hills, with Hollywood actor and licenced pilot John Travolta serving as the host.

Harry will take his position alongside other aviation and aerospace 'legends' like Buzz Aldrin, Jeff Bezos, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford, Morgan Freeman, Elon Musk and Saudi Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud.

Nonetheless, several former military personnel have commented on the honour and questioned whether Harry truly deserves it. Former Royal Navy Chief of Staff Lord Alan West told MailOnline: "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. There are lots of people who deserve to be called this but not Prince Harry. I find it extraordinary he has been picked."

A retired Army colonel who also saw action in Afghanistan, Richard Kemp, claimed that the award amounted to "celebrities massaging each other's egos."

He told The Sun: "He was a gunner in an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan but so were many, many other people. I can think of many people who did pretty extraordinary things while serving in the British and American armed forces which would be much more deserving of an award like this. It is obviously because of who he is - not what he did."