Tom Cruise, who recently joined the star-studded lineup for King Charles III’s upcoming coronation concert, has long-standing ties to the British royal family.
The 60-year-old actor is set to appear “in a series of pre-recorded sketches and segments revealing little-known facts about The King” at the royal event on Sunday, per the BBC.
While the “Mission Impossible” star’s participation may have come as a surprise to some, Cruise’s links to the royals date back over 30 years.
In 1992, Cruise and his then-wife Nicole Kidman met the late Princess Diana at the London premiere of their romantic drama “Far and Away.”
According to royal expert Neil Sean, Cruise and Diana went on to become “chums,” and the actor was “devastated” when the Princess of Wales died in a car accident at the age of 36 in August 1997.
“She was a magical person and really engulfed you with her personality,” Cruise told Sean.
Cruise and Kidman were among the celebrity guests who paid tribute to the late princess at her funeral on Sept. 6, 1997.
Sean also recalled that Diana loved Cruise’s 1986 hit “Top Gun” and would frequently watch the movie on video with her sons Prince William and Prince Harry when they lived at Kensington Palace.
William would later forge his own friendship with Cruise, who held a special screening of his 2022 sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” for the prince and his wife Kate Middleton ahead of the movie’s release last May.
Cruise invited the royal couple after learning that William, who previously served as a pilot with the Royal Air Force, was a huge fan of the original film.
The screening was reportedly also attended by other royal family members including William’s aunt Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, and cousins Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice.
Two months later, the Prince and Princess of Wales attended the London premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” at the invitation of Cruise.
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The trio were seen smiling and chatting while making their way down the red carpet, with Cruise even giving Middleton a helping hand as she walked up the steps at Leicester Square.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet, Cruise confirmed that he had treated the couple to the early screening.
“He’s an aviator, so I knew he would have a lot of fun,” the New York native said.
When asked if Cruise, who is a licensed pilot, had flown with William, he told the outlet, “Not yet.”
“I’m sure. Pilots are pilots, so we all want to go flying,” he added.
The “Mission Impossible” star echoed the sentiments in an interview with the PA News Agency during the premiere.
“We have a lot in common,” he said of William. “We both love England, and we’re both aviators. We both love flying,”
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The “Top Gun: Maverick” premiere came days after Cruise played a role in a royal event during the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. The actor introduced the Kings Troop Royal Artillery at the “A Gallop Through History” Platinum Jubilee celebration at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.
Cruise expressed his admiration for the queen in an interview backstage at the event, which was held at Windsor Castle. He also shared that he previously bonded with another royal over their mutual love of flying: the late Prince Philip.
While chatting with presenters Phillip Schofield and Julie Etchingham, Cruise opened up about meeting Philip at the 75th anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust in 2017. The Duke of Edinburgh passed away in 2021 at age 99.
“There was a moment, of course we were talking about pilots, we had to talk about helicopters, and he was telling me the wonderful story of how he got the first helicopter into Buckingham Palace during [Queen Elizabeth II’s] coronation,” Cruise recalled.
“Fantastic story,” he added. “I was this close to going ‘I’d like to land a helicopter, if you ever need someone to pick you up, I’ve got a helicopter and I think I could put it right there.’”
Cruise told Schofield and Etchingham that it was a “real privilege” to be part of the festivities marking Elizabeth’s 70th year on the throne.
“It’s a wonderful event,” he said. “I’m very honored to be here.”
He continued, “She’s just a woman that I greatly admire. I think she is someone who has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion. What she has accomplished has been historic. I just remember always as a kid seeing photos of her.”
Cruise went on to discuss his love for the United Kingdom, noting that he had been making movies in the country since 1982.
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“Even before I started producing movies, I would bring them here to England because I just liked the crews and the people and the generations of families that I’ve worked with,” he said.
“I love the history and I just have great respect for her,” Cruise continued of the monarch. “So when they asked I instantly said ‘Yeah, it would be my honor. It’s wonderful.”
Cruise and the late monarch reportedly became friends in the months before her death. A source told the Times of London in November that the two “really hit it off” over the summer after Elizabeth was unable to meet the movie star at the Platinum Jubilee event due to mobility issues.
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“The queen let it be known that she was really disappointed not to have met Tom at the [equine] pageant, so he was invited to have a special tour of Windsor Castle with everything laid on for him,” the palace insider purported.
“Afterwards, 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.”
The outlet claimed that not only did the queen arrange for photographs to be taken of her with Cruise during their private meeting, but he was also permitted to take a shot at firing a ceremonial gun. The queen allegedly gave her new pal “full VIP treatment.”
It is believed the pair were expected to schedule a lunch date. However, the meeting never occurred. The queen passed away on Sept. 8 at Scotland’s Balmoral Castle. She was 96.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
