Prince Harry's 'Living Legend of Aviation' Award Slammed for Being 'Ridiculous'

Prince Harry is set to be honored for his work as a military pilot, but some critics question if it's well-deserved. The Duke of Sussex dedicated a decade of his life to the armed forces, and he often uses his experience as a captain for his ongoing volunteer projects and the Invictus Games.

"The term 'living legend' surely does not apply here, if to him then why not to every pilot who has seen service?" Richard Fitzwilliams asked in an interview.

Harry will be inducted at the 21st Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Friday, January 19.

"No doubt his founding of the Invictus Games has been taken into account but 'living legend' is surely ridiculous," Fitzwilliams continued. "Prince Harry was a brave Apache pilot during his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He was, however, unwise enough to list the number of Taliban he personally killed in his autobiography Spare, which drew much criticism."

Since leaving the royal family in 2020, the veteran has been open about his time in the military, and he discussed his experiences in the docuseries Heart of Invictus. OK! previously reported the famous redhead shared how grief influenced his time as a captain.

In the series, Harry claimed he "didn't have that support structure, that network, or that expert advice to identify actually what was going on with me."

"But the stuff that was coming up was from 1997, from the age of 12, losing my mum at such a young age, the trauma that I had I was never really aware of, it was never discussed, I didn't really talk about it," the duke explained.

"I suppressed it like most youngsters would have done but when it all came fizzing out I was bouncing off the walls, I was like what is going on here, I am now feeling everything as opposed to being numb," he added.

Royal expert Richard Eden ripped apart Harry's anecdotes from the production.

"The Invictus Games are one of the Duke of Sussex's lasting achievements, helping to provide injured former servicemen and women with a fresh focus and challenge, as well as creating new friendships and support networks," Eden wrote in an article.

"So his new documentary series for Netflix, Heart of Invictus, gave Prince Harry the opportunity to tell some of the inspiring stories of the competitors from around the world," the journalist added. "Sadly, from what I have seen of the series, which was released by the American streaming giant on Wednesday, Harry couldn't resist using this priceless opportunity to talk about himself, again."

Despite Eden's opinions, PR expert Carla Speight believes the Netflix project was an opportunity for the prince to rehabilitate his image.

"These powerful words over harrowing images of soldiers training, crying, focusing, celebrating and crowds cheering really drive home that this docuseries is about the Invictus Games and the stories within that only," the professional said.

Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!

When the Sussexes left the U.K., they began to pursue careers in Hollywood and produced a multimillion-dollar tell-all for Netflix, but Speight thinks the pair should've initially focused on Harry's previous job of being an army pilot.

"In my opinion, from a personal brand perspective, it would have been more beneficial to Prince Harry and Meghan to have started their partnership with Netflix using this documentary rather than be sucked into the games of getting their side across in the mudslinging games via the press and media," the professional explained.

"In this docuseries, it’s clear that his mother’s kindness and care for those less fortunate has rubbed off on him. He found that in common with Meghan, who’s also been a keen campaigner for women and those less fortunate too," she added.

Fitzwilliams spoke to Daily Express.