Queen Elizabeth and Tom Cruise Became Secret Friends Before Her Death

Hollywood royalty, meet British royalty.

Tom Cruise
(Image credit: Getty)

In the weeks before her death, Queen Elizabeth, 96, proved it’s never too late to make a new friend—except her new friend was none other than Tom Cruise, who Her late Majesty “really hit it off” with over the summer, according to Page Six.

The Top Gun actor was in the U.K. as a part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations, but, because of ongoing mobility issues, Her late Majesty was unable to meet him at the festivities.

“The Queen let it be known that she was really disappointed to not have met Tom at the pageant, so he was invited to have a special tour of Windsor Castle with everything laid on for him,” a source says. “Afterwards, just the two of them had tea together.”

The Mission Impossible star was such a huge hit that he got to fire a ceremonial gun. “She loved seeing him and they really hit it off, so much so that she invited him back for lunch,” the source says. “He was even allowed to fly in by helicopter.”

The twosome’s friendship was set to continue on with another lunch date, but the Queen died on September 8 at Balmoral Castle before they could reunite.

In a television interview earlier this year, Cruise said of the Queen “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.”

Rachel Burchfield
Contributing Royal Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family. In addition to serving as the royal editor at Marie Claire, she has worked with publications like Vogue, Vanity Fair, ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, and more. She cohosts Podcast Royal, a show that provides candid commentary on the biggest royal family headlines and offers segments on fashion, beauty, health and wellness, and lifestyle.