Tom Cruise pays tribute to King Charles III, invites new monarch to be his 'wingman'

Tom Cruise recently paid a dramatic tribute to King Charles III at the Coronation concert. A day after the new monarch was crowned, a concert was held at Windsor Castle during which Cruise asked King Charles III to be his wingman. 

During the concert, a pre-recorded segment titled Did You Know? was played before Lionel Richie's performance wherein former 007 Pierce Brosnan said, "King Charles III was the longest-serving Prince of Wales for over 64 years. During that time, the King developed a host of action-man skills. At 22 years old, his Majesty got his wings as a fully trained RAF pilot." Soon after him, a clip featuring Bear Grylls was played where he said that the King is also a naval aviator and a trained Commando helicopter pilot in the fleet air army. After him, a shot by Cruise was played wherein he was seen piloting a fighter plane. He said, "Pilot to Pilot. Your Majesty, you can be my wingman anytime." 

For the unversed, this is not the first time the actor has been involved in a royal event. After the death of King Charles III's first wife Diana in 1997, Cruise attended the funeral as a guest with his then-wife Nicole Kidman. Reportedly, he was the Princess of Wales' close friend. As per the reports, they met during the London premiere of his film Far and Away in 1992. In 2022, the actor broke royal protocol by holding Kate Middleton's hand during the Top Gun premiere in Leicester Square.

King Charles' Coronation

King Charles III was officially crowned as the 40th King of the United Kingdom on May 6. Several notable celebrities including singer Katy Perry, post-punk experimental musician Nick Cave, TV duo Ant and Dec, singer Lionel Ritchie, Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson, and Stephen Fry among others attended the coronation concert.  Apart from them, many political figures including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron, and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden attended the event.