Tom Cruise made a surprise appearance at Windsor Castle last night to bring some A-list glamour to the kickoff event of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Did he scale the battlements wearing those gloves from Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol? Reprise the dance from Risky Business? Conduct a Top Gun-style fly-by, making Her Maj spill her coffee and mutter under her breath about ‘grounding his ass’.
None of the above, alas. Instead, Cruise shared his respect and appreciation for the Queen’s decades of service, before introducing the Kings Troop Royal Artillery. Which, in fairness, is probably more what the organisers had in mind.
‘It’s a real privilege [to be here],’ he told ITV. ‘She’s just a woman that I greatly admire. I think she is someone who has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion.’
He added: ‘What she has accomplished has been historic. I just remember always as a kid seeing photos of her.’
‘I love the history of England and I just have great respect for the Queen. So when they asked I instantly said: “Yeah, it would be my honour.” It’s wonderful.’
Helen Mirren was also at the celebration – in an acting capacity. She played Elizabeth I in a theatrical event called ‘A Gallop Through History’ that breezed through nearly 600 years of regal life in Britain.
It’s a regal week for Cruise, meanwhile. On Thursday, he will be at the Royal premiere of Top Gun: Maverick in London. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be present as Leicester Square celebrates the return of perma-grinning ’80s fighter ace Pete ‘Maverick‘ Mitchell. He may not have an Oscar yet, but he may just find himself getting knighted.
Four burning questions we have about the London Eye’s new Jubilee pod.
Tom Cruise is back in the cockpit: read our review of Top Gun: Maverick.