A History of Tom Cruise Meeting the Royals

Turns out Tom Cruise's gala moment with Prince William was far from his first encounter with the British royal family: see the old photos

Princess Diana

GREAT BRITAIN - JULY 30: Diana, Princess of Wales meets actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman at the premiere of "Far and Away" at the Leicester Square Empire Cinema, She is wearing a dress by fashion designer Catherine Walker (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images) — Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman and Princess Diana in 1992. TIM GRAHAM PHOTO LIBRARY/GETTY

In 1992, a young Tom Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman greeted Princess Diana at the London premiere of Far and Away on July 30.

Princess Diana's Funeral

LONDON - SEPTEMBER 6: Guests attending Diana, Princess of Wales's funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997 include Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/WireImage) — Nicole Kidman, Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks attend Princess Diana's funeral in 1997. ANWAR HUSSEIN/WIREIMAGE

Tragically, five years later, Cruise and Kidman attended Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey in London, along with Tom Hanks and more of the royal's famous friends.

Prince Philip

Cruise was on hand in March 2017 to chat with Prince Philip at the 75th anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust at Buckingham Palace.

Prince William, Kate and Prince George

US actor Tom Cruise (C-L), English model Kate Moss (C), and English footballer David Beckham (C-R) are seen during the UEFA EURO 2020 final football match between Italy and England at the Wembley Stadium in London on July 11, 2021. (Photo by CARL RECINE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CARL RECINE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) — Tom Cruise at EURO 2020 in July 2021. CARL RECINE/GETTY

Though they weren't snapped in the same shot, at the 2020 Euro final football match between Italy and England in July 2021, Cruise (seated near Kate Moss and David Beckham, among others) had a brief interaction with Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince George a few rows away.

Windsor Horse Show

On May 15, 2022, Cruise manned the microphone at the performance of the Platinum Jubliee Celebrations at the Windsor Horse Show, part of an ITV television special.

Prince William and Kate Middleton

Four days later, on May 19, Cruise was a gracious host to William and Kate at the London premiere of Top Gun: Maverick.

Prince William

the UK premiere of Top Gun: Maverick at the Odeon Leicester Square, central London — Tom Cruise and Prince William in 2022.

Cruise and Prince William, both aviation enthusiasts, reportedly chatted about their flying experiences at the event.

"We have a lot in common," Cruise said of the prince at the premiere, according to My London. "We both love England and we're both aviators, we both love flying."

Kate Middleton

Tom Cruise in the Royal Box on day thirteen of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Wimbledon. Picture date: Saturday July 9, 2022. (Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images); LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 09: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 09, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage) — Tom Cruise and Kate Middleton in 2022. STEVEN PASTON/PA IMAGES VIA GETTY; KARWAI TANG/WIREIMAGE

Cruise and Kate had another run-in just two months later at the women's final of the 2022 Wimbledon tennis tournament in London, where he sat a few rows behind her.

King Charles

Cruise played a role in the Coronation Concert, which took place in the days following King Charles' crowning ceremony. In a video cameo, Cruise gave the monarch a shoutout while in a fighter jet.

"Pilot to pilot, Your Majesty, you can be my wingman any time," Cruise said.

Prince William

Cruise and Prince William reunited in February 2024 at the London Air Ambulance charity gala. The royal told the actor, "I haven’t got my Top Gun slippers on," referencing the fancy footwear he rocked at the 2022 premiere of Top Gun: Maverick.

Prince William

During his speech at the event, Prince William directly addressed Cruise during the fundraising appeal for new aircraft.

"I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my — our — fellow pilot, Tom Cruise," the royal said. "Tom, huge thanks for supporting us tonight. And Tom, if you wouldn't mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next Mission Impossible, it would be appreciated. We have all seen on our screens that — how can I put it — you seem to have a different take on 'normal wear and tear' to the rest of us. It's not the kind that buffs out."

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