Prince Harry poked fun at John Travolta on Friday, joking that the American actor has been “dining out” on his famed one-time dance with the royal’s mom, Princess Diana, at the White House in 1985.
The quip came as the Duke of Sussex delivered a speech at the annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards in Beverly Hills, an event that was being hosted by Travolta.
Harry took the stage to be awarded as a “living legend of aviation,” which was in part to mark his work as an Apache helicopter pilot with the British Army in Afghanistan. As Harry took the stage, he was met by Travolta, who placed a medal around his neck.
Harry started by saying, “This is very nice” as he inspected the medal that’d just been placed on him. That was followed by a pause and him thanking “Captain John” for it.
“I was 1-year-old when you danced with my mum,” he continued. “As you’ve told everybody here, and continue to dine out on that probably every single night. But look at us now. It’s great. So if we’re not going to dance together, we’ll fly together.”
The bit drew laughter from the crowd, and Harry quickly moved into what appeared to be more-prepared comments.
“For me, flying has been a transcendent experience,” he said. “A close encounter with magic, an invitation to both protect freedom and to feel free; and, funny enough, an opportunity to ground oneself, without actually being grounded.”
Harry served in the military for a decade, rising to the rank of captain and later founding the Invictus Games for wounded military personnel and veterans.
Travolta, himself a pilot and avid ambassador for all things aviation, reportedly played a key role in Harry earning Friday’s reward, which was one of four given out to those “who have made significant contributions to aviation/aerospace.”
Harry, who lives in the U.S., attended the event alone. He reportedly made no mention of the recent health woes that’ve struck the palace, which included King Charles III being diagnosed with an enlarged prostate and Kate Middleton being hospitalized after a successful abdominal surgery.
