Prince Harry Honors First Responder During Solo Appearance at Star-Studded Charity Event Hosted by Kevin Costner
Meghan Markle was reportedly sick and could not attend alongside her husband.


Prince Harry made a solo appearance in honor of a first responder.
On Friday, Sept. 20, while attending the One805Live Fall Concert in Carpinteria, California, the Duke of Sussex praised Santa Barbara County air support pilot Loren Courtney. The event, hosted by legendary actor Kevin Costner, aims to raise money for first responders in Santa Barbara County.
"As you've probably heard already, 22 years [of] military service over 10,000 hours and rarely sees his family because he's always here flying helicopters," Prince Harry said after taking the charity stage to honor the evening's first responder of the hour. "Why do you still do what you do?"
According to People, the first responder explained that he loves his job, and considers a career of service "a rewarding experience."
"It's a rewarding experience whenever we go out —either putting out fires or rescuing somebody in the back country or medical evacuations from vehicle accidents or doing the law patrol—keeping citizens safe," Courtney said.
Prince Harry , Duke of Sussex (L) presents an award to Santa Barbara County Air Support Pilot Loren Courtney during the One805Live Fall Concert on September 20, 2024 in Carpinteria, California.
The event was filled with celebrities, including Pink and Dallas Green who reunited to perform as the duo You and Me, as well as Kenny Loggins, Joe Bonamassa, Alan Parsons, Al Stewart, and Richard Marx.
Markle, who according to People attended the event last year alongside her husband, was notably absent at this year's festivities. According to reports, the Duchess of Sussex had to miss out due to an undisclosed illness.
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Despite Markle's absence, Prince Harry shared a memorable, touching moment on stage with the Courtney, highlighting
"an experience or a story that stands out" for the first responder over his many years of service.
It was then that the pilot, according to People, "recalled an experience when he was doing search and rescue in Colorado and helped rescue a group of skiers who had gone off a 30-foot embankment." It took Courtney five attempts to save one gentleman in particular, who he explained had suffered a severe head injury.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, attends the One805Live Fall Concert on September 20, 2024 in Carpinteria, California.
"I learned in the military, you never leave anybody behind. We got him out. He spent almost a year in intensive care and then rehab, and now he's walking, he got married. He actually went to the top of the Grand Tetons and, and proposed to his girlfriend after the accident," Courtney added.
"You are one of the many heroes here tonight," Prince Harry responded. "There are people here tonight who are alive because of you and who are back to their families because of you...from everybody here, thank you so much."

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.
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