Hollywood royalty met the real thing when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined Tom Cruise on the red carpet for his new Top Gun film.
The actor said he and the Duke “have a lot in common” as he arrived for the London premiere of Top Gun: Maverick.
William and Kate are making an appearance at the premiere of the highly-anticipated sequel on Thursday which is a Royal Film Performance.
Speaking about his admiration for William, Cruise, 59, said: “We have a lot in common. We both love England, and we’re both aviators, we both love flying.”
Cruise has reprised his role as hot-shot Navy lieutenant Maverick, more than 30 years after the release of the original film.
The actor also expressed his joy to be back on the red carpet, saying: “I love what I do, I’ve always enjoyed it and I’m enjoying it even more now.
“Particularly after the last couple of years, just to have an event like this is extraordinary.”
William and Kate arrived to cheers from onlookers and the flashes of cameras at the event in London’s Leicester Square on Thursday evening.
William was wearing Crocket & Jones loafers with “F-18” on them in a nod to the fighter jet flown by Cruise’s character in the film.
Tom Cruise introduced the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to cast members in front of a model of a fighter jet from the film.
William was wearing an Alexander McQueen tuxedo while Kate sported a black and white Roland Mouret dress.
The fundraising event is held in aid of The Film and TV Charity, which supports people working behind the scenes in the UK’s screen sector.
Maverick, which has so far received rave reviews from critics, also features Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Monica Barbaro, Val Kilmer, Jon Hamm and Glen Powell.
It was originally due for release in July 2019 but was repeatedly pushed back due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Earlier this month, Cruise made a dramatic entrance at the US premiere of the film, landing a helicopter on an aircraft carrier in San Diego, California.
Initially called the royal command film performance, the first royal film performance took place at the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square in 1946 and was attended by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
The film shown was A Matter Of Life And Death starring David Niven.
The most recent performance featured a screening of First World War epic 1917, directed by Sir Sam Mendes, and took place in 2019 at the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square, with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall in attendance.
