Inside Tom Cruise's friendship with royal family ahead of his appearance at King Charles' coronation
LONDON, ENGLAND: ‘Mission Impossible’ star Tom Cruise has joined a star-studded lineup at King Charles’s coronation concert that is scheduled to be held on May 6. The concert “will take place in the grounds of Windsor Castle in front of a crowd of 20,000 members of the public” and there will be some “pre-recorded sketches that are being billed as revealing little-known facts about the monarch,” reveals BBC.
However, this is not the first time the ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ star has been linked with the royal family. He has enjoyed friendships with members of the royal family for almost thirty years.
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Earlier in February, Cruise had been invited to the coronation on May 6, reports The Sun. A source told the outlet, “Tom has been invited to King Charles’ Coronation and there is no way he would have ever turned it down,” before adding, “It is a hugely prestigious event and Tom is a real royalist — plus he is now close with Prince William and Kate. Tom has told film bosses to shut down the production on Mission: Impossible over the Coronation weekend to make sure he can attend.”
Tom Cruise's special relationship with the Queen
The movie star and the late monarch of Britain, Queen Elizabeth II, had struck a friendship before the Queen’s death. They "really hit it off" and even had tea together at Windsor Castle after he hosted part of the horse exhibition 'A Gallop Through History'. They were even planning a second meeting before the Queen’s passing at the age of 96. When he was tasked with introducing a critical portion at the horse-themed event 'A Gallop Through History,' Cruise was one of the surprise stars of the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee.
Before the event started, Cruise revealed to the hosts of the show, Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham, "I was just very honoured. She's a woman I greatly admire. She has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion. What she has accomplished has been historic," before adding, "I remember as a kid, seeing photos of her. I travelled around a lot and I came to England to make movies in 1982. I love the history and I just have great respect for her. When they asked I instantly said 'it would be my honour to be here',” reports Mirror.
As the Queen could not meet the ‘Knight and Day’ star, she invited him to have tea with her. Cruise was, in fact, allowed to land his helicopter in the royal residence. A source told Sunday Times at that time, "Just the two of them had tea together. She loved seeing him and they really hit it off, so much so that she invited him back for lunch. He was even allowed to fly in by helicopter."
Tom Cruise meeting Princess Diana
The former Princess of Wales, Diana, attended the London premiere of Tom Cruise’s movie, ‘Far and Away’ in 1992 where she was greeted by both Cruise and his then wife, Nicole Kidman. In fact, in 1997 Cruise attended Princess Diana’s funeral upon her death at the Westminster Abbey with Kidman.
Tom Cruise's relation with William and Kate
Tom Cruise had not only struck up a friendship with Diana, but also her son Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, now the Prince and Princess of Wales. Cruise invited Prince William and Kate to attend the London premiere of hos movie 'Top Gun: Maverick' in last May when he came to know William was a fan of the original 'Top Gun' and often watched it with his mother. He said of Prince William during the event, "We have a lot in common," and added, "We both love England, and we’re both aviators. We both love flying," reports Fox News.
Tom Cruise meeting with late Prince Philip
Tom Cruise also spent some quality time with Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh during a dinner marking the 75th anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust at Buckingham Palace in March, 2017
Tom Cruise and his love for sports
Tom Cruise often met with members of the royal family during many game watchings. In 2022, he briefly met Kate during the women's final at Wimbledon tennis tournament in London. He also met with William and Kate during the Euro final in 2021, reports People.