Tom Cruise was all smiles on Tuesday night as he greeted Prince William and his wife, Princess Kate, at the world premiere of his new film, Digger, in London.
The movie star, who shares a friendship with the prince, took a moment to give a two-word compliment to the royal.
Tom and William’s exchange
“Great jacket,” he mused as he met with William, who was dressed in a tuxedo with a double-breasted jacket and bow tie. He then greeted Kate with a kiss on her cheek, as she wowed in a purple Jenny Packham dress paired with the Queen Mother’s amethyst sautoir necklace, last seen on Queen Camilla at the 2012 Skyfall premiere.
Ahead of their arrival at Leicester Square, Tom took a moment to praise William and Kate, saying: “I just love them. They are lovely people, and I have great respect for them.”
© Andrew Parsons / Kensington PalaceThe royal couple attended the event in support of the Film and TV Charity, which provides mental and financial help to workers in the industry. The Digger event was chosen as the official Royal Film Performance and helped to raise funds for the charity.
The actor shared his appreciation for William and Kate inside the cinema when the Digger cast took to the stage. “We want to thank the Royal Highnesses for supporting this event, and just to tell them that we love them and we really appreciate what they do for the arts, for this country and for the world,” Tom said.
See more from the premiere event below…
Inside their years-long friendship
The prince and princess also supported Tom at the 2022 Top Gun: Maverick premiere, as William is a huge fan of the film – a fact which he later revealed.
“I’ve got to be careful because I’m a little biased to a particular person,” William said at the BAFTA Film Awards in 2026. “But Top Gun 2, for instance, is one of the most incredible films I’ve watched in a long time.”
“Highest-grossing, so serious about how he takes the action scenes. How it doesn’t win anything, ever? That’s what I care about,” he continued.
“It just doesn’t win anything. How could it not win anything? It’s one of the biggest grossing films probably in recent times, and it just needs a mention somewhere, that’s all I care about.”
© Getty Images“For me and watching with my children, they absolutely adore it,” the prince added. “As much as they love the sort of arty ones… they like the stunts and [Tom] takes it so seriously and he cares about cinema.”
Tom showed support for London’s Air Ambulance Charity in 2024, of which William is a patron, when he attended a fundraising gala.
© Daniel Leal – WPA Pool/Getty Images“I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to our fellow pilot, Tom Cruise,” William said in his speech.
“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’ve 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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