Tom Cruise has unexpectedly vacated his lavish apartment in London’s upscale Knightsbridge district, citing safety concerns in the area, as reported by the Daily Mail.

An insider familiar with the 63-year-old Mission Impossible actor revealed that Cruise decided to abandon his £35 million residence due to his perception that the once-glamorous neighborhood has deteriorated.

Just last week, a Rolex store near Cruise’s building was the site of a frightening robbery, where perpetrators on motorbikes crashed into the shop and wielded machetes against security personnel who attempted to intervene.

The attackers stormed into the Bucherer store armed with a large sledgehammer, two smaller claw hammers, and a tool designed for shattering thick glass.

During the audacious daytime heist, about 20 watches were stolen in a chaotic three-minute ordeal before the criminals escaped on their motorbikes.

A source close to the Hollywood star commented, “The brazen assault on the store below highlighted the inadequate security measures protecting the multi-million-pound flats where Cruise resides.”

‘He often loved to take a walk around the area but it seems like Knightsbridge is becoming less safe by the week. He just felt the area has declined in the past year or two.’

Cruise was known to go for early morning runs in Hyde Park, which is directly across the road – named South Carriage Drive – from the high-end block he lived in.

One worker at a neighbouring hotel told the Daily Mail that motorbikes from either side of the Rolex store had swooped in a well-planned, pincer movement.

The worker was having a cigarette break in Serpentine Walk, a path that runs from the large South Carriage Drive to the Knightsbridge road, where the front of the luxury watch store can be accessed.

He said two bikes sped past him, with at least one driver carrying a ‘very big knife’, while other robbers came from the Knightsbridge side.

Another source said that one massive sledge hammer used as part of the horrifying attack was so heavy the thug handling it struggled to use it, and at one point tripped over the large weapon.

The shop remained closed this week with one security guard claiming it was for ‘refurbishment’ purposes.

There were no watches in the windows but a glance at one empty display, which still had prices attached, showed one costing £29,950.

While a nearby Rolex store’s window displayed watches ranging in price from £5,000 to £16,000, with certified, pre-owned versions as expensive as £45,000.

It means a haul of 20 watches would yield hundreds of thousands of pounds for the brazen thieves.

One resident, who lives a five-minute walk from the robbed store, said it was known that Cruise ‘has been generally about’ for some time but that he remained secretive.

Brand expert and author Marcel Knobil told the Daily Mail that for areas like Knightsbridge, ‘image is everything’, and that celebs like Cruise add value to its name.

‘I think that whatever statistics one wants to deliver, perceptions are what really matters,’ he said.

‘Various locations within London have really suffered from a truly deteriorating perception.

‘The likes of Knightsbridge is a location built on characteristics such as glamour, wealth and prestige, and so safety is very much expected and anticipated.

‘When safety appears to be under threat then this impacts massively on the image of a location.

‘If the likes of Knightsbridge are not careful then not only will Labour’s first budget be totally disastrous for it, but increasing fear factors through such visible crimes could spiral seriously and significantly impact upon the way it is perceived.

‘Glamour and prestige can be very fragile and can easily be shattered.

‘When major crimes and muggings on a mammoth scale are reported, property prices will fall and retailers will also eventually feel it.

‘I’ve heard from high street estate agents that there are an increasing amount of abandoned homes in London with rusting “for sale” signs.

‘The personalities that roam the streets of Knightsbridge, such as Tom Cruise or Madonna, really help to build the glamorous image of London and makes it more attractive as a place.

‘So it might appear superficial but just like celebrities increase the value of clothing they wear, they also enhance the value and image of London when they are seen on the streets.’

The Daily Mail previously revealed the news that the actor had suddenly departed the exclusive spot. 

Concierge at the apartment block in Knightsbridge were said to have been left ‘stunned’ by the star’s sudden departure. 

Sources said staff were seen at the penthouse property, which overlooks Hyde Park, removing boxes of possessions. 

A source familiar with Cruise’s departure told the MoS: ‘Tom loved London. He loved where he lived, he would get up and go for run around Hyde Park in the mornings.

‘He loved walking in the local area but he also really, really enjoyed jumping in a helicopter at Battersea Heliport and flying off into the quintessentially British countryside.’ 

The source added: ‘It all happened very quickly, it was a surprise to the staff at the building where his penthouse is.

‘It’s most strange. The UK became both his professional headquarters and private playground, with discrete dates, tightly-guarded movements and late-night arrivals. England became far more than just a filming base.’

Crime rates have stayed high in Knightsbridge and Belgravia for several years, with gangs on mopeds known to divide up local areas, targeting tourists and the wealthy.

Indeed, the latest monthly figures released by the Met Police from November show crime rates in Knightsbridge and Belgravia have stayed largely the same for years.

Some 295 offences were committed in Knightsbridge and Belgravia in November, with almost a third of them carried out close to the iconic Harrods store.

The daylight Rolex raid came just weeks after Loro Piana, a luxury Italian fashion brand a short walk from Harrods, saw its own store looted.

Shortly before 3am on December 16, cops were called after a car had smashed into the front of the shop.

Items including clothing and handbags were stolen and the suspects fled before officers arrived.

Police are still investigating and no arrests have yet been made, the Met said.

While last year 24-year-old Blue Stevens was stabbed to death near luxury hotel The Park Tower Knightsbridge, just a stone’s throw from the Rolex store.

Mr Stevens’s killer remains at large. 

This month, his mother accused Sadiq Khan of ‘celebrating’ London’s falling homicide rates while her ‘beautiful boy lies in his grave’.

The grieving mother added: ‘Is Sadiq Khan really bragging about the murder rate in London? 

‘Are they really celebrating the fabulous news about the number of murderers this last year. One murder is too many. How f***ing dare they?

‘When the news broke about what happened to my son, Sadiq Khan refused to comment on any of it. He did not acknowledge what had happened to my son at all, not one word from him.’

As mystery surrounds the brazen murder, the Metropolitan Police last week crowed over figures which showed homicide in London has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade.

But despite this, the impact on the luxury prime property market which Knightsbridge depends on, is still being felt. 

Last year, property prices in Knightsbridge were 27 per cent down on the previous year and 37 per cent down on the 2016 peak of £3,955,991 with the average cost of a home in the area now £2,490,108. 

And there’s a myriad of reasons why they’re not selling, not least of all the policies of the Government. 

According to a recent report on global wealth by Henley & Partners, in 2024 the UK lost more millionaire residents than any city in the world except for Moscow – with 9,500 high-net-worth individuals departing in just 12 months.

To many, the trigger for this behaviour is Labour’s controversial inheritance tax law, which means that, for the first time, all global assets (instead of just UK ones) owned by non-doms are subject to 40 per cent tax after ten years in the UK.

‘The stupidity of this is beyond comprehension,’ says Trevor Abrahamson of Glentree Estates. ‘If you want them to pay tax, they will pay tax. But not on everything.’ 

Two of his clients – Lakshmi Mittal, the Indian steel magnate, and Norwegian shipping magnate, John Fredriksen have already left for Dubai.

‘They’re wealth creators,’ says Mr Abrahamson. ‘Which idiotic country would create an environment so they leave?’

Indeed, high-end estate agent Savills revealed this week that transactions involving homes worth £5million or more fell by 11 per cent throughout 2025.

There were just 412 such properties sold, as the wealthy held back on concerns about potential property tax rises in November’s Budget, which were rumoured for several months beforehand. This compared to 463 the previous year.

Wealthy buyers spent a total of £4.09billion on homes priced at £5million or more across 2025, Savills’ figures suggest, a decrease of 18 per cent or nearly £900million on 2024.

In the Budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves targeted owners of expensive homes with the biggest change to council tax in three decades.

From 2028, properties in England worth more than £2million will face a surcharge on top of their council tax, dubbed a ‘mansion tax’.

Savills said homes worth between £10million and £15million saw the steepest decline last year, with sales dropping by almost a third (31 per cent).

Most of these homes are in prestigious central London neighbourhoods such as Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Chelsea.

Cruise has been making films in the UK for 40 years, but he settled here in 2021. He was spotted at Wimbledon’s Centre Court, visited Glastonbury festival and has even been seen enthusiastically tucking into a classic chicken tikka masala and a takeaway fish and chips.

Sir Kenneth Branagh, 65, who appeared alongside Cruise in the 2008 historical thriller Valkyrie, revealed the American actor ‘loves British pubs’ and had even learned Cockney rhyming slang. 

He made an almost seamless transition into British high society, appearing in a tongue-in-cheek video as his Top Gun character Maverick in a broadcast at Windsor Castle for the concert celebrating King Charles’s coronation, and appearing at a fundraising event with Prince William for the London Air Ambulance charity. 

He also attended events for the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee alongside David and Victoria Beckham, Gordon Ramsay and the Prince and Princess of Wales. Cruise was also thrilled when he was made an honorary Brit by the British Film Institute last April.

He said of it: ‘I’m truly honoured, I’ve been making films in the UK for over 40 years and have no plans to stop.’