Prince William Meets Tom Cruise At Charity Gala, Shares Update On King Charles' Health

Prince William recently met Hollywood actor Tom Cruise in London on Wednesday as he returned to public duties after Buckingham Palace announced the cancer diagnosis of the UK's King Charles. The Prince of Wales made his first public appearance since his wife Princess Kate had "planned abdominal surgery" last month, according to Kensington Palace.

The official account of The Prince and Princess of Wales took to X (formerly Twitter) to share the picture in which both of them are dressed in their tuxedos and black bow ties. In the caption, the account wrote, "Fancy seeing you here, @TomCruise! The two were attending a charity fundraising gala at London's Air Ambulance Charity at a central London hotel. 

Fancy seeing you here, @TomCruise! 🚁 pic.twitter.com/JGYspIz2Eo

— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 7, 2024

Prince William has met the actor a few times, most recently when he and Princess Kate attended the 'Top Gun: Maverick' premiere in London in May 2022. In 1997, the actor also attended the funeral of Princess Diana.

"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," Prince William said at the event. "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," he joked. 

According to the Independent, Prince William also thanked Tom Cruise for attending the event. He also joked with the actor and said, "Tom, if you wouldn't mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next Mission Impossible, it would be appreciated."

Meanwhile, King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer, Buckingham Palace said in a statement on Monday. The 75-year-old monarch will postpone public-facing duties while he undergoes treatment but is looking forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.