Prince Harry being awarded the status of “Living Legend of Aviation” is an affront to British pilots who performed military heroics that the Duke of Sussex didn’t, Colonel Richard Kemp has said.
The aviation prize generated a furious response from combat experts who argued that the 39-year-old is unbefitting of the honour.
Grease and Pulp Fiction Superstar John Travolta presented the royal father-of-two with his medal in Beverly Hills, California on Friday.
Prince Harry now joins a list of previous winners of the award including legendary astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Now, however, former British Army top brass Colonel Richard Kemp has slammed the award, claiming the former working royal doesn’t deserve it.
Speaking to The Sun, the Colonel said that Harry’s award was little more than “celebrities massaging each other’s egos”.
He added: “I can understand why it’s happening. It’s all obviously about publicity. He’s a celebrity and a very well known person, and of course it gives publicity to this award and the people that are promoting it.
“But there are many people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, possibly even fighting now in against the terrorism in Yemen.”
“A large number of military pilots, helicopter and fixed wing aircraft have carried out some extraordinary feats of valor and phenomenal aviation that I’m afraid Harry didn’t do.”
Prince Harry undertook two tours of Afghanistan in the role of forward air controller and as an Apache helicopter pilot.
While in the Middle East, he was a Forward Air Controller from 2007 to 2008 before becoming an Apache Pilot from 2012 to 2013. On some occasions he was stationed at Camp Bastion.
During his service he qualified as an Apache Aircraft Commander and in 2011 was promoted to the rank of Captain.
Despite his tenure in the armed forces, the Colonel noted that he wasn’t even the top man in his own helicopter. Colonel Kemp said that the Prince was “number two” in his Afghanistan craft, adding: “He was a gunner in an Apache helicopter in Afghanistan but so were many, many other people.
“An Apache is crewed by two people – a pilot and a gunner. Harry was a gunner. He was number two in the aircraft.
“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.”
