Step aside, Goose. Prince William could easily be Tom Cruise's wingman. The friendship between Hollywood royalty and the future King has taken off in recent years, and appears to still be soaring.
The Prince of Wales himself has admitted to being "a little biased to a particular person" a.k.a. Tom when it comes to films. While at the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards, the royal was asked what his favorite film is.
A family of fans
"I've got to be careful because I'm a little biased to a particular person," William answered. "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," the Prince 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."
© Daniel Leal - WPA Pool/Getty ImagesEven the royal's kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are fans of Tom's stunts in the action flick. "For me and watching with my children, they absolutely adore it," the dad of three shared. "As much as they love the sort of arty ones… they like the stunts and he takes it so seriously and he cares about cinema."
VIP treatment
William and Catherine were treated to an advance screening of the Top Gun sequel in 2022. Two months before the film came out, it was reported that Tom had greeted the royals for the private screening, which he arranged after he learned that the Prince of Wales, a trained RAF helicopter pilot, is a fan of the original 1986 movie.
Both William and Catherine experienced the action thriller, ahead of its debut at Cannes Film Festival, at an IMAX cinema on London's bustling Leicester Square with some of their family and close friends including the Countess of Wessex, Princess Beatrice, and Princess Eugenie.
Tom later confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that he had given the royal couple a screening "early on". "He's an aviator, so [I knew] he'd have a lot of fun," Tom said.
Supporting each other
The Prince and Princess of Wales saw it again when they attended the Top Gun: Maverick premiere in London on May 19, 2022. Tom and William looked like buddies as they walked alongside each other, chatting on the carpet. At one point during the premiere, the Jack Reacher actor chivalrously offered the Princess a helping hand as she went up steps in her off-shoulder Roland Mouret gown.
© Dan Kitwood/Getty ImagesThe Mission impossible actor thanked the royals for attending the premiere in a video message shared on the Waleses' Instagram Story. "Right now we're at the royal premiere and want to thank you for joining us this evening," Tom said. “It's such a privilege to have you here and it's such a privilege to be in your country. We're gonna have a great night. Have a lot of fun."
Since then, Tom has supported the London's Air Ambulance Charity, which William is patron of. The movie star joined the heir to the throne at the charity's fundraising gala in 2024. In remarks at the event, William gave "fellow pilot" Tom a special shoutout, and jokingly asked him to not borrow the charity's new helicopters for his next Mission impossible film.
© Dan Kitwood/Getty Images"I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my, our fellow pilot, Tom Cruise," Prince 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."
Tom has also supported William's Earthshot Prize. The Golden Globe winner made a surprise video appearance at the 2025 awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, calling the Prince his "dear friend".
The Prince of Wales isn't the only member of the British royal family to have received a video message from Tom. The Magnolia star recorded one for William's father, King Charles, for his Coronation Concert in 2023. "Pilot to pilot, Your Majesty, you can be my wingman any time," he told the King.
A common interest in flying
While William and the actor's friendship might seem unexpected, Tom has previously pointed out that he and William "have a lot in common".
"We both love England, and we're both aviators, we both love flying," the Jerry Maguire star told ITV in 2022.
Like Tom and his iconic Top Gun character Maverick, Prince William is no stranger to the skies, having worked as an air ambulance pilot. As of 2022 the pals had "not yet" flown together, but Tom seemed to believe it might happen one day. "I'm sure," he told Entertainment Tonight. "Pilots are pilots. We all want to go flying."
Their first meeting
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetWilliam's bromance with Tom is believed to have flourished thanks to his mother Princess Diana, who became friends with the Hollywood actor in the early nineties. In 1992, Diana attended the London premiere of Tom's film Far and Away, which also starred Tom's then-wife Nicole Kidman.
Diana is said to have also taken teenagers William and Harry to the set of 1996 blockbuster Mission Impossible, where they met Tom and saw him in action. And the rest, as they say, is history.
