Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been offered a new stage for their Hollywood comeback story as the duke is to be inducted into a hall of fame.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex started their U.S. story at a dizzying high, signing multi-year deals with Netflix and Spotify in 2020 only to then hit a crushing low in 2023.
Harry’s book Spare was relentlessly mocked despite selling so fast it broke international records and then in early summer their Spotify deal collapsed leaving the only royal couple on the commercial market in the States smelling of failure.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images Ms. Foundation for Women/Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
However, since then they have been rebuilding and a new opportunity has emerged for Prince Harry to cement his image as a war hero and advocate for veterans.
The duke will be inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation hall of fame during an awards gala at the Beverly Hilton on January 19, hosted by John Travolta.
Morgan Freeman, Tom Cruise and Elon Musk are among those who have been given the honor previously and in Harry’s case his military service put him in the running.
The prince was the co-pilot gunner of an Apache helicopter during his second tour of Afghanistan and fired on the enemy, killing 25 Taliban fighters.
It has not yet been publicly confirmed whether Harry and Meghan will attend in person. However, if they did, it would be their first joint red carpet in Los Angeles, almost four years after moving to California.
A press release read: “The 21th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards, to be held on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, will honor those who have made significant contributions to aviation/aerospace.
“John Travolta, the ‘Official Ambassador of Aviation,’ will host, and the ‘Living Legends of Aviation’ are excited to welcome four new remarkable inductees to their ranks.”
Prince Harry was described as: “A British Army veteran and pilot with ten years military service, flying training missions in the U.S., U.K. and Australia, as well as combat missions in Afghanistan saving the lives of allied forces and countless civilians, and creator of the Invictus Games for wounded veterans around the world.”
In addition to new photographs of the couple looking like a picture of success and happiness, the award re-enforces Harry’s status as a role model to America’s veteran community.
His Invictus Games tournament, held most recently in Germany in September, marked the most straightforward PR triumph for the couple in an otherwise difficult year.
Since moving to California in March 2020, the couple have done few red carpet appearances in L.A. with Meghan notching up her first during the Variety Power Of Women awards at Mother Wolf on November 16, 2023.
Brushing shoulders with the great and good of showbiz was, however, a key plank of their comeback last year.
Meghan was photographed with Kelly Rowland and Kerry Washington at a Beyonce concert in September and she and Harry shared a plane with Cameron Diaz and Zoe Saldana on their way to a Katy Perry concert in Las Vegas in November.
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.