Hollywood royalty met British royalty on Wednesday February 7 as Tom Cruise joined Prince William at London’s Air Ambulance Charity Gala, of which the Mission: Impossible star has been an ongoing supporter.
The pair took pictures together, and were snapped talking; they have met several times over the years. London’s Air Ambulance Charity delivers an advanced trauma team to critically-ill people in the capital, and is trying to raise £15 million / $18 million by fall to replace its current helicopter fleet. William, a former air ambulance pilot himself, has been patron of the organization since 2020.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all," William said during his opening remarks, referencing his wife's recent hospital stay for abdominal surgery and his father's cancer diagnosis.
He then quipped: "It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus. So I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!"
At a reception before the dinner, William, who was formerly an air ambulance helicopter pilot, met crews from London’s service and chatted to Tom where they joked about the C&G slipper shoes William wore to the Top Gun: Maverick premiere in 2022; they were emblazoned with an F-15 fighter jet, like those used in the movie.
"I haven’t got my Top Gun slippers on," the father-of-three told Tom, who replied: "I miss them."
William and the Princess of Wales enjoyed a date night in 2022 for the London premiere screening of Top Gun: Maverick at Leicester Square, where Tom and legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer introduced the royal couple to the film's stars, including Jennifer Connolly and Glen Powell, who were lined up against the backdrop of a real P51 fighter plane, like the one Tom pilots in the film.
Tom was later snapped taking Kate's hand to help her up the stairs and into the theater.
Star Greg 'Tarzan' Davis shared details of meeting the British royals with HELLO!, and called them "disarming," revealing that they made everyone feel comfortable and that it "felt I had known them for so long".
"It can be a little intimidating, there are so many rules in place and I thought, 'oh if I mess up, what may happen?' but they are so disarming, I felt I had known them for so long and William was very engaging," he shared with HELLO!
"William had wandered past and then came back to talk to me more - we had a nice long talk, it was an incredible experience."