Miles Teller shared that he “felt the vibe” with the Prince of Wales during the Top Gun: Maverick premiere in London.
On Wednesday, Teller appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon where he spoke about meeting the Prince and Princess of Wales at the film’s UK premiere in May. However, the actor said he messed up “right off the bat” when it came to following royal protocol.
“They give you a full kind of rules, like do’s and don’ts,” he told Fallon. “There’s a lot of etiquette, which, deservingly so. I kind of had a sheet to prep to make sure I didn’t mess up.”
When he greeted Prince William and Princess Kate, Teller explained that he extended his hand for a shake a little too enthusiastically.
“I think right off the bat I messed up,” he said, as Fallon showed him a picture of the faux pas taken at the premiere. “You’re not supposed to extend your hand right off the bat unless they do.”
“But I felt the vibe, so I was like, ‘I’m going in.’”
Luckily, William and Kate took the casual gesture in stride when Teller explained that the couple was “very disarming”.
As Fallon showed the picture of Teller and his co-star, Jennifer Connelly, meeting the royal couple to the audience, Teller pointed to the image and said, “I think right there, I’m honestly lost in Prince William’s eyes.”
When asked by Fallon to “tell me more about this,” seemingly referencing the interaction, Teller took it as an opportunity to describe Prince William’s eyes further.
“His eyes? Blue as the bluest ocean, Jimmy,” he said.
Last May, the Prince and Princess of Wales walked the star-studded red carpet at Leicester Square in London for the UK premiere of Top Gun: Maverick. There, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge met with the film’s stars, including Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, and Jon Hamm. Cruise, who plays US Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, even helped Kate up a pair of steps by offering his hand.
Following the UK premiere, Hamm revealed the strict rules he had to follow when meeting Prince William and Kate Middleton.
“There are guidelines that are not so much guidelines as hard and fast rules that you are made to follow when you meet the royalty,” he told Jimmy Fallon. “There’s a bow involved.”
Even back then, Teller’s castmates were aware of how enchanted he was with Prince William’s eyes. “He geeked out a little on Prince William’s eyes,” Hamm said. “I remember coming back afterwards, he was like, ‘They’re so blue, I got lost in his eyes.’”
