As Tom Cruise is set to attend the King's Coronation, a look back at his relationship with the royals

To the outside world, it may seem a little odd that Tom Cruise is reportedly set to stop filming Mission Impossible in order to attend King Charles’ Coronation on May 6. However, the Hollywood actor has had a long standing relationship with the Royals so it is only natural that he would want to attend such a momentous occasion.

Looking back at Tom Cruise’s relationship with the royal family, the actor reportedly met the late Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1990s and attended her funeral. According to Tatler magazine Tom also met the late Duke of Edinburgh at a Buckingham Palace’s charity dinner in 2017.

Tatler magazine revealed (regarding the Duke of Edinburgh) that 'He recalled "We were talking about pilots… and he was telling me the wonderful story of how he got the first helicopter into Buckingham Palace during (the Queen’s) coronation… I was this close to going, 'I’d like to land a helicopter, if you ever need a helicopter, someone to pick you up, I think I could put it right there.'"

Tom Cruise has not only met the Duke of Edinburgh and Princess Diana, but is also said to have enjoyed a special relationship with the late Queen in the final year before her passing. She is believed to have been disappointed that she had been unable to meet him during a Platinum Jubilee event, but reportedly had tea with him in her final weeks at Windsor Castle.

Other royal family members who Tom Cruise has a relationship with are Prince William and Kate Middleton. When Kate Middleton and Prince William attended the London premiere of Tom Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise even took Kate Middleton’s hand to help her up a set of stairs.

Tom Cruise met Kate only a few months later at the women’s final at Wimbledon as he was sitting only a few rows behind her. Their paths are likely to cross again if he attends her father-in-law’s coronation ceremony this coming May.