Prince William reportedly bristled at Tom Cruise’s admiration for Kate Middleton
Tom Cruise’s gushing words about the Princess of Wales have apparently ruffled feathers at the palace — and not from the person you’d expect.
Before the London premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in 2022, Tom Cruise privately set up an early screening for Prince William and Kate Middleton — a gesture that matched the actor ’s very public habit of praising the Princess of Wales. At events and in interviews, Cruise has gushed about her poise and humor, and he hasn’t been shy about sharing warm words for the couple in general.
That enthusiasm is now fueling tabloid chatter. RadarOnline reported, citing unnamed sources, that Prince William threw a “bit of a jealous hissy fit” over the attention Cruise paid to Kate. Other royal-watch reports, however, have pushed back on that portrayal, describing Cruise’s compliments as something the couple takes in stride and treats as harmless.
A long-running connection
Whatever the palace temperature, Cruise’s history with the princes goes back decades — and it ’s not limited to red carpets.
- 1995 — Princess Diana brought William and Harry to the set of the first Mission: Impossible, where the young royals reportedly lit up at the pyrotechnics.
- 2022 — Cruise hosted an advance screening of Top Gun: Maverick for William and Kate, then welcomed them at the film ’s London premiere.
- 2024 — Cruise supported Prince William’s London Air Ambulance charity gala, underscoring their shared interest in aviation and rescue work.
Read more: Lost sleep over Johnny Depp ’s “mega pint” trial moment? Jensen Ackles says so — jokingly.
Cruise has also highlighted what he sees in the couple in unusually direct terms.
“Beautiful people,” he said of Prince William and Catherine — adding that the Prince of Wales made a “smart choice” in marrying her.
Cruise and William share a well-documented love of flying — the actor famously does his own aerial work, while the prince flew rescue helicopters — which has helped keep their rapport going well beyond movie premieres and charity appearances.
Earlier we wrote: Adam Brody shares cheeky Leighton Meester marriage detail: "Farting’s never been a big issue"