By Wonderwall.com Editors
2:00pm PST, Feb 8, 2024
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On his first day back to work following King Charles III's cancer diagnosis and Princess Kate's abdominal surgery, Prince William caught up with an old friend: Tom Cruise!
The "Mission: Impossible" star was a guest at the London Air Ambulance Charity Gala dinner in London on Feb. 7. William, a patron of the organization since 2020, was also on hand at the gala, where he addressed attendees about the Air Ambulance group's current fundraising campaign and thanked them for their support in the wake of his family's health issues.
The Prince of Wales also gave a special shout-out to Tom during his speech after chatting with the star at a reception before the dinner.
Keep reading for more details and more photos of Tom and Wills…
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While chatting with crews from the London Air Ambulance service at a reception before the dinner, Prince William stopped to catch up with Tom Cruise.
According to Britain's Hello magazine, the helicopter pilots shared a laugh about the slippers William wore to the London premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick." The shoes reportedly featured images of an F-15 fighter jet, à la Tom's shoes in the movie.
"I haven't got my 'Top Gun' slippers on," William joked as they shook hands.
"I miss them!" Tom replied as they continued to chat.
William tossed another joke Tom's way during his speech later in the evening…
MORE: World leaders react to King Charles III's cancer news
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"I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my — our — fellow pilot, Tom Cruise," Prince William said, according to People magazine. "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 have 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."
The royal opened his speech by thanking "all those whose hard work has made this evening possible." He then shared an update on his ailing wife and dad, Princess Kate and King Charles III.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all," he said, adding, "It's fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus. So I thought I'd come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!"
William's appearance at the gala comes two days after Buckingham Palace announced King Charles is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer.
MORE: The first pictures of King Charles since his cancer diagnosis was revealed
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Princess Kate — seen here with Prince William and Tom Cruise at the 2022 premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" — is currently recuperating from abdominal surgery.
As multiple British news outlets noted at the time of the premiere, Tom's interest in the royal family is well-documented.
In 2022, he attended events during Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee celebration and reportedly "hit it off" with the monarch.
"The Queen let it be known that she was really disappointed not to have met Tom at the pageant, so he was invited to have a special tour of Windsor Castle," a source told Britain's Sunday Times, per Tatler.com.
"Afterwards, just the two of them had tea together. She loved seeing him and they really hit it off, so much so that she invited him back for lunch. He was even allowed to fly in by helicopter."
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Speaking to Britain's ITV about Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee festivities in 2022, Tom Cruise, seen here with Prince William and Princess Kate, praised the monarch and her long tenure.
"What she has accomplished has been historic," he said, per Tatler. "I just remember always as a kid seeing photos of her. … The world knows the dignity, devotion and kindness, that is what I have always felt about her."
The actor also met William's mother, Princess Diana, in 1992. Keep reading to see a photo from their time together…
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Tom Cruise and then-wife Nicole Kidman were photographed meeting Princess Diana at the London premiere of "Far and Away" in 1992. (Five years later, they attended her funeral.)
Decades later — in 2017 — Tom was photographed chatting with Prince William's grandfather, Prince Philip, at a dinner at Buckingham Palace…
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Tom Cruise shared a lively chat with Prince Philip at a dinner marking the 75th anniversary of the Outward Bound Trust at Buckingham Palace in London on March 8, 2017.
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By the time Tom Cruise met Prince Phillip in 2017, Prince William had already launched his career as an air ambulance co-pilot.
The royal, pictured here in 2015 during his then-new post with the East Anglian Air Ambulance, previously served as an RAF search and rescue helicopter pilot.
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Tom Cruise, meanwhile, has long been known to execute his own stunts and pilot his own helicopters on set — hence, William's recent joke about the star's "Mission: Impossible" flying habits.
