Prince Harry Honors ‘Quiet Heroes’ Who Fought California’s Devastating Wildfires at Beverly Hills Awards Ceremony

Prince Harry is back in California and honoring those who helped combat the wildfires in Los Angeles earlier this year.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, returned for the second year in a row to the Living Legends of Aviation ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Friday, April 25.

Harry, who was honored at the 2024 event for his work as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan during his 10 years in the military, joined Morgan Freeman and others in celebrating the aerial firefighters involved with the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles in January. He and his wife, Meghan Markle, previously contributed to relief efforts by handing out food and supplies as well as meeting with firefighters.

During his remarks onstage, Harry honored the first responders who battled the recent fires, saying in part: “There are moments in life that reveal a great deal about who we are — not just as individuals, but as a people. Moments that test our courage, compassion and our commitment to one another. And time and again, what I’ve seen — what the world sees — is that first responders rise to that challenge every single time, yet we rarely get the chance to thank them.”

“This past January, when fires swept through over 50 square miles of Los Angeles County — threatening homes, businesses, communities — we saw that spirit in action. We saw courage. We saw commitment. And we saw an extraordinary group of men and women take to the skies, also risking their lives to protect people they would never meet,” he continued.

“It has reminded us that in a world full of noise, there are still quiet heroes among us — steady, capable, and brave. Tonight, we celebrate aviation legends — the kind forged in smoke, shaped by teamwork, and defined by the courage to fly into danger when others are told to flee,” he said.

“This community doesn’t ask for attention or recognition. They don’t ask for praise. But tonight we’re gonna give it to them regardless because in my experience, it’s the people who don’t expect it or ask for it, that need and appreciate it the most,” he concluded.

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John Travolta also returned to the awards ceremony as host. Last year, Prince Harry teased the Grease star in his speech, joking that he was “dining out” on his infamous dance with his mother, the late Princess Diana, during a 1985 visit to the White House.

“I was one year old when you danced with my mom,” Harry said. “But look at us now, it’s great! So if we’re not going to dance together, we’ll fly together.”

The 2025 Living Legends inductees included former Navy SEAL and NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy, former astronaut and Navy fighter pilot Robert “Hoot” Gibson, and NBC’s lead lead aviation and space correspondent Tom Costello.

Prince Harry’s outing in Beverly Hills came two days after he and Meghan, 43, stepped out in New York City. The Duchess of Sussex spoke on stage at the TIME100 Summit before the couple unveiled an installation honoring children whose lives were cut short due to the harms of social media.

The Lost Screen Memorial featured 50 smartphones displaying the lock screen photo of a child whose life was lost due to the harmful effects of social media. The personal images were shared by parents, who are members of the couple’s Archewell Foundation’s Parents’ Network, to promote the need for safer online spaces.

The Duke of Sussex said, “These children were not sick. Their deaths were not inevitable—they were exposed to, and in many cases were pushed harmful content online, the kind any child could encounter. No child should be exploited, groomed, or preyed upon in digital spaces. To the platforms, they may be seen as statistics. To their families, they were cherished and irreplaceable.”