A glimpse into Tom Cruise's royal charm offensive! Star claims he has 'a lot in common' with William, had tea with the late queen and held Kate's hand on the red carpet – but Diana didn't want to date him because he was 'too small'

When Prince William returned to his royal duties on Wednesday evening after several weeks out of the spotlight, he was accompanied by a very famous face.

The Prince of Wales, 41, attended another gala for the London Air Ambulance Charity on his first day at work – and to the delight of royal fans, he teamed up with Hollywood actor Tom Cruise to attend the event at the Old War Office.

The pair, both sharply dressed in tuxedos, beamed as they stood side by side in a snap on the Prince and Princess of Wales' X/Twitter account, with the caption: “Love seeing you here!”

But for the more observant royal watchers, Cruise's appearance at a royal event may not come as a surprise at all – the 61-year-old Hollywood legend has attended a number of events with the royals over the years and has had leading roles at the celebration of the the Queen's platinum jubilee, as well as the coronation concert.

He has worked with the Prince and Princess of Wales, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana – and has even said King Charles could be his wingman.

Appearing at the London Air Ambulance event in the nation's capital on Wednesday, the famed Scientologist teamed up with Prince William in evening wear – and the royal even made a nod to Cruise, who donated millions to charity, in his speech has donated.

'Here in London the current aircraft have performed excellently. But our capital needs a new fleet.

'And we are against time. The clue is actually in the name of the profession. By September we need the two new red birds – equipped with the latest equipment such as night vision goggles – in our skies.

“I must also take this opportunity to mention my – our – fellow pilot, Tom Cruise. Tom, thank you so much for supporting us tonight.

“And if you wouldn't mind not borrowing any of the new helicopters for the next Mission: Impossible, that would be appreciated.

“We've all seen on our screens that – how should I put it – you seem to have a different view of 'normal wear and tear' than the rest of us.

“It's not the kind that polishes, that's for sure.”

Over the years, Cruise has continued to build relationships with members of the royal family who love to fly, not least Her Majesty The Queen.

In the late monarch's final weeks at Windsor Castle before traveling to Balmoral where she died, she invited Cruise to the royal residence for tea.

She was said to be disappointed not to have met the star during her platinum anniversary celebrations, which had taken place earlier that summer.

Despite not seeing the Queen during the week of celebrations, Cruise appeared in a segment of the anniversary and said of her: “She is a woman I admire immensely. She has enormous dignity and I admire her dedication. What she has achieved is historic.”

Insiders said the pair 'hit it off' during their meeting and that the late Queen 'loved seeing him' – even letting him land his helicopter on the castle lawn.

Cruise was even invited to lunch, but the Queen sadly died before he could return.

The Hollywood star, who shot his latest Mission Impossible film in Britain, said: 'She's just a woman I really admire. I think she is someone with enormous dignity and I admire her dedication.

'What she has achieved is historic. I remember always seeing pictures of her as a child.'

A source told The Times: 'The Queen said she was very disappointed not to have met Tom during the pageant.

'So he was invited on a special tour of Windsor Castle, with everything arranged for him. Then they drank tea alone together.

“She loved seeing him and we really hit it off so well that she invited him to lunch.”

Despite missing out on June's platinum anniversary celebrations, Cruise flew to London for his Top Gun: Maverick premiere later that month – and invited two very special royal guests.

The star was joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales on the red carpet – and during the appearance the Hollywood star noted that he has 'a lot in common' with the royal family.

Speaking about the royal couple, he praised 'what they do for their country'.

He continued, “We have a lot in common. We love England, we're both pilots, so it's going to be a really great night.'

During the red carpet appearance, the actor even extended his hand to Kate in a gesture of chivalry as they climbed the stairs to the stage.

At the time, a PR expert speculated that Cruise's decision to invite the royals to his premiere, which was also a charity event, may have been part of a little-known industry ploy known as “brand halo,” in which people in public be of interest. associate themselves with something positive in the hope that the glossy shine will rub off on their own image.

“We see people hanging out with celebrities, wanting to be photographed at high-profile events and apparently wanting to be 'approved' by popular entities online,” Lida Citroen said.

“It's possible this is the strategy behind Cruise's promotion of his new film to an institution as popular and recognized as the Royal Family.”

While naysayers may dismiss Cruise's association with the royal family as a PR stunt, his ties to the family go back a long way – and he was even friends with Princess Diana.

In 1992, while married to Nicole Kidman, Cruise invited Diana to another London premiere of Far and Away.

However, it has been reported that Diana may not have been as enamored with the actor as she was with the royal family.

Former chef Darren McGrady once recalled how Princess Diana said Cruise was “off the list” in terms of dating options because he was “too short.”

The royal family met up with Cruise again on the set of Mission: Impossible and brought along Prince Harry and Prince William.

Despite the occasional “snub,” Cruise's love for the royals has endured — and he even made a cameo at the King's Coronation Concert.

The Hollywood star appeared in a VT played from his fighter jet during the concert – where he delivered a special message for King Charles.

He said, “Pilot to pilot, Your Majesty. “You can be my wingman.”