They may be an unlikely duo, but it was reported last year that acting legend John Travolta and Prince Harry had formed such a close friendship that the pair were ‘like brothers’.

After reportedly bonding over lunch at the exclusive Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills back in 2023, a source reported how the duo had quickly built a rapport on their shared memories of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana, who John famously twirled around the dance floor of the White House at a ball back in 1985, when Harry was just one.

The insider said at the time, ‘They hit it off straight away. It wasn’t just planes, choppers and fatherhood – or even THAT dance with Diana. John and Harry have both suffered deep emotional losses and recognise the same scars in each other.

‘Harry leans on John for advice on everything from raising kids to ambitious wives. He also loves hearing him gush about his mum.’

John, 71, was reported to have a ‘strong emotional link’ to Harry, 40, at the time and, when Harry was inducted as a ‘living legend of aviation’ by the actor at the annual awards of the same name last year, he came under criticism for influencing the decision  and putting Harry among the ranks of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.

However, in April, reports emerged that John had found an unexpected new protégée in Britney Spears’ ex-husband, actor Sam Asghari..

The up and coming star posed next to John in front of a sports car, captioning the snap, ‘First week of filming In the cans. Having the opportunity to act among a legend and to learn from is unreal for me’.

And now a source tells Closer that John’s new friendship with Sam, 31, has sent Harry into a ‘spiral’ of panic after having reportedly been ‘snubbed’ by his former friend in recent months.

The insider says, ‘Harry got wind of John getting close to Sam and it sent him into a total spiral. He has nothing against the guy, but it just highlights that John does have time for some people, just not for him.

‘This is very upsetting because Harry really thought they were going to have a close relationship when he moved to America. John is always someone he’s looked up to, he had this vision of them flying together and hanging out more. 

‘Harry has tried so many times to meet up and John always has one excuse or brushes him off. John’s always friendly and polite when they see each other but it’s very clear the friendship is dead in the water.’

While Harry joked at last year’s Living Legends of Aviation Awards that John had been ‘dining out’ on his famous dance with Diana ‘probably every single night’, his brother Prince William, meanwhile – who boasts the title of Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Air Corps – is believed to have no connection to the Saturday Night Fever star.

However, after years of tension between Harry and William, culminating in Harry’s scathing words for his ‘arch nemesis’ in his 2023 memoir, Spare, the source says Harry fears the Royals have reached out to warn John.

The insider says, ‘Harry’s very paranoid that William is poisoning people against him and this situation plays right into that fear. He’s very worked up about it and is saying he wants to call John up and ask him straight out to tell him the truth.’

Meanwhile, as Meghan Markle continues the rollout of her lifestyle brand, As Ever, the Sussexes could certainly do with all of the celebrity support they can garner to help boost the Duchesses passion project.

And after mysteriously missing ‘pal’ Kevin Costner’s charity event in September, reportedly due to illness, the source says Meghan, 43, is counting on her Prince to charm more A-listers into showing their support publicly.

‘It wasn’t just Harry who was counting on John, but Meghan as well. She was super excited because he’s a legitimate A-lister who’d add a lot of credibility and Hollywood stardust to their social circle,’ the insider says.

‘Harry was telling her for the longest time that he’d got this alliance in the bag, so to speak, that he and John had bonded over his mum and that they were very in sync on global issues – plus of course they have that shared passion towards aviation.

‘He’s still hoping to salvage things, but from the way John’s acting that seems to be unlikely. Fact is, he’s got his own world and immersing himself into Team Sussex simply isn’t his style.’

Riding on the wave of their 2021 Oprah talk, during which the world heard Meghan and Harry’s take on the alleged bullying and isolation they experienced within the ‘firm’, the couple found themselves welcomed with open arms into the most exclusive Hollywood circles.

Their friends at the time included A-listers Oprah, Gayle King, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom, the Obamas, Ellen DeGeneres and Portia Rossi, Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz. Even Beyoncé also thanked Meghan for her ‘strength and leadership’.

However, when Meghan launched her new lifestyle brand last April, sending out 50 jars of homemade strawberry jam, the only high-profile celebrities who publicly supported her by posting on social media were Chrissy Teigen and Kris Jenner.

And after we recently the reported that Meghan is also hoping to make amends with her one-time friend, Michelle Obama, the source says John may have caught wind of the Sussexes ‘desperate’ plight to land back in the good graces of the Hollywood elite – and is refusing to be swept up in their on-going drama. 

The insider says, ‘One of the biggest issues for Harry and Meghan right now is that they come across as too desperate and intense, it’s off-putting to a lot of people, and that’s before you throw the fact they’re so unpopular and controversial.

‘All things considered it’s no big shock that John’s decided to swerve their drama and stay out of their orbit for now.’