Tom Cruise has spoken with emotion about meeting Princess Diana for the first time, remembering the late royal as “brilliant” and saying she possessed the same warm, grounded nature he sees in Prince William and Kate Middleton.
The 64-year-old actor was in France on Sunday as part of the promotional campaign for his upcoming movie, Digger.
Cruise appeared on Laurent Delahousse’s television programme to discuss the film, which is scheduled to arrive in cinemas in the UK and US on October 2.
During the interview, the Top Gun star reflected on his latest project and revisited several memorable moments from his 42-year career, according to French celebrity publication Gala.
Among the memories he holds most dearly is his first meeting with Princess Diana, who he encountered alongside his then-wife Nicole Kidman at the 1992 premiere of their movie Far And Away.
Cruise spoke warmly of Diana, calling her a “brilliant and intelligent woman” and saying it was a genuine pleasure to meet and get to know her.
Tom Cruise remembered meeting Princess Diana for the first time with his then-wife Nicole Kidman at the 1992 premiere of Far And Away.
The actor described Diana as a “brilliant and intelligent woman” and said meeting her had been a joy.
Diana died tragically in a Paris car crash in August 1997. Cruise and Kidman were among the late royal’s famous friends who attended her funeral at Westminster Abbey in London.
The pair met again in 1995, when Diana was given a special invitation to visit the set of Cruise’s blockbuster Mission: Impossible, ahead of the film’s 1996 release.
Darren McGrady, Diana’s former royal chef, later recalled that the princess returned to the kitchen after the visit and joked about their height difference. At 5’10”, she reportedly quipped that Cruise, who is 5’7″, was too short to date, saying: “That’s another one off the list — he’s too short!”
Only two years after their first meeting, Diana died in the August 1997 car crash. Cruise and Kidman joined Tom Hanks and other well-known friends of the royal family at her Westminster Abbey funeral.
Looking back on their connection, Cruise said Diana reminded him of her son William and Kate, praising the family’s approachable and down-to-earth character.
“She was like William and Kate: approachable, down-to-earth,” he said.
Cruise’s longstanding friendship with the Prince and Princess of Wales was also on display at the London premiere of Digger on September 22.
The actor drew attention when he appeared to break royal protocol by taking Kate’s hand and guiding her down the steps of the Odeon Luxe in Leicester Square, while William walked alongside her.
The Mission: Impossible star is among a select group of high-profile figures known to share close ties with Britain’s royal family.
Cruise said Princess Diana shared the same easygoing, down-to-earth qualities he associates with her son William and daughter-in-law Kate.
Tom Cruise previously made headlines for breaking royal protocol when he took Catherine’s hand and escorted her along the red carpet at the 2022 Top Gun: Maverick Royal Film Performance in Leicester Square.
Over the years, Cruise has enjoyed private afternoon tea with the late Queen Elizabeth II, shared an interest in aviation with Prince William and frequently displayed his trademark chivalry towards the Princess of Wales.
He has also had starring roles in the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, as well as the Coronation Concert – and has even said King Charles can be his ‘wingman’.
Cruise has continued to bond with members of the Royal Family with a love of flying over the years – not least, Her late Majesty the Queen.
In the late monarch’s final weeks at Windsor Castle before travelling to Balmoral where she died, she invited Cruise for tea at the royal residence.
She was said to have been disappointed that she had not met the star during her Platinum Jubilee celebrations, which had taken place earlier that summer.
Despite not seeing the Queen during the week of celebrations, Cruise appeared in a segment at the Jubilee, and said of her: ‘She’s a woman I greatly admire. She has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion. What she has accomplished has been historic.’
Insiders said the pair ‘really hit it off’ during their meeting and the late Queen ‘loved seeing him’ – and she even allowed him to land his helicopter on the lawn of the Castle.
Cruise was even invited back for lunch but the Queen sadly passed away before he could return.
The Hollywood star, who had been filming his Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning film in the UK, said: ‘She’s just a woman that I greatly admire. I think she is someone who has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion.
‘What she has accomplished has been historic. I just remember always as a kid seeing photos of her.’
