Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were dealt a humiliating blow by Hollywood icon Tom Cruise following the London premiere of his new movie, Digger. In addition to being snubbed off the guest list, the Mission Impossible legend was instead joined by Prince William and Princess Catherine on the Leicester Square red carpet.
Decades-long friendship with the Royal couple
This comes in conjunction with the actor's decades-long friendship with the Royal couple, having been acquainted with his mother, Princess Diana, and subsequently attending her funeral in 1997. Although he was also joined by David Beckham and fellow actor Riz Ahmed, Tom opened up about having the Prince and Princess of Wales in attendance during a recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
The 64-year-old revealed he enjoyed having them there and told the presenter: "They are amazing, very charismatic. I had such a good time." This comes after the Sussexes were said to be watching from the Cotswolds with "envy and anger."
Tom praises William and Catherine
While Tom didn't comment on the royal drama on the red carpet, he instead simply complimented William's chosen attire. As the Prince donned a dapper tuxedo with a striking, double-breasted velvet jacket and bow tie, the actor could be heard telling the Royal: "Great jacket," as the trio spotted one another at the start of the star-studded evening.
Meanwhile, Catherine looked ethereal in a Jenny Packham purple floor-length dress, accessorised with a pair of Diana's pearl drop earrings and the late Queen Mother's amethyst sautoir necklace. Ahead of their arrival, the Digger star took a moment to praise William and Catherine and said: "I just love them. They are lovely people, and I have great respect for them."
Tom went on to compliment the Royals in front of the crowd, telling the audience: "We want to thank the Royal Highnesses for supporting this event, and just to tell them that we love them and we really appreciate what they do for the arts, for this country and for the world."
Royal biographer suggests Sussexes' reaction
During Thursday's episode of GB News, royal biographer Tom Bower suggested Prince Harry and Meghan were "pulling their hair out" following the Wales' red carpet debut. He told the hosts that their appearance beside the Hollywood star was the perfect way to silence the noise.
As presenter Ellie Costello said: "We had this fantastic example, we should say, of the Prince and Princess of Wales, keep calm and carry on last night." Tom replied: "It was marvellous. One can imagine in the Cotswolds this morning, the Sussexes are pulling their hair out with envy and anger. Of course, it's business as usual, and hopefully the Wales' will appear a lot more to snap the oxygen out of the Sussexes' campaign against the Royal Family."
