The unexpected friendship between Prince William and Tom Cruise has quietly become one of the most intriguing crossovers between the palace and Hollywood.
A royal seal of approval
While attending the BAFTA Film Awards in 2026, William was asked to name his favorite film.
He confessed that he might be “a little biased,” before praising Top Gun: Maverick as one of the most impressive films he has seen in years.
Back at Adelaide Cottage, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are obsessed with high-speed aerial scenes.
William has admitted that family movie nights often lean more towards daring stunts than artistic drama, much to the delight of his children.
Private Projections and red carpet moments
The bond between the royal aviator and Hollywood’s most intrepid stuntman dates back to 2022, when William and Catherine were invited to a private IMAX screening ahead of the film’s debut at the Cannes Film Festival.
Cruise personally organized the preview after discovering that William, an RAF-trained helicopter pilot, was a long-time fan of the 1986 original.
Cameras captured them deep in conversation, and Cruise even offered a reassuring hand to the Princess of Wales on the stairs.
Cruise later publicly thanked the couple and called it a privilege to host them in the UK.
At a 2024 fundraising gala, the future king jokingly warned his “fellow pilot” not to borrow the charity’s helicopters for the next installment of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoningcausing Cruise’s idea of ”wear and tear” to be different from everyone else’s.
Cruise has also lent his star power to William’s environmental initiative, the Earthshot Prize, appearing via a surprise video message and referring to the Prince as his “dear friend.”
The actor has said that they “have a lot in common”, citing their shared love of aviation and England.
