Prince William returned to royal duties: met with Tom Cruise

The heir to the throne of Great Britain appeared in public for the first time since the news of Charles III’s illness

Prince William has returned to his royal duties after a short break. He kept a low profile and supported his wife, Princess Kate of Wales, as she recovered from abdominal surgery. At the same time, a return to official activities was required due to the diagnosis of King Charles III. He was diagnosed with cancer and took a short break for treatment.

Prince William of Wales attended a gala dinner to raise funds for the London charity Air Ambulance. It is his first public appearance since a short holiday and since Buckingham Palace announced his father King Charles III had cancer.

The event’s host, Tana Brier, also admitted to Prince William from the stage that they were all sending the king good wishes. The heir himself, during his speech at the dinner, thanked everyone who supported the family and wished health to the monarchs. He also stressed that the crown “really appreciates everyone’s kind messages. Thank you!”.

“I would like to take this opportunity to also thank you for the messages of support for Kate and my father, especially in recent days. This means a lot to all of us,” Prince William admitted standing on the podium.

The heir to the throne does not lose his sense of humor in critical moments, just like his father the king: “The last few weeks have been more about medicine, so I thought I would come to the air ambulance event to take my mind off it all.”

Earlier, the Prince of Wales held his investiture ceremony, one of his regular duties, at Windsor Castle.

At the dinner, Prince William spoke with Hollywood star Tom Cruise. Let’s remember that the actor attended the funeral of William’s mother, Princess Diana, in 1997. He was friends with the late Queen Elizabeth II and, an avid helicopter pilot, flew to Windsor Castle for lunch with her just months before her death in September 2022. It is explained that the Mission: Impossible star was invited to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in February 2022, but the culprit herself was unable to meet him due to mobility issues.

“The Queen made it clear that she was disappointed not to meet Tom at the event, so he was invited on a special tour of Windsor Castle, where everything was prepared for him. Afterwards, the two of them had tea together,” a source said at the time. Experts also stressed that the Queen enjoyed meeting him and they really hit it off, so much so that she invited him to dinner. He was even allowed to fly in by helicopter.

Tom Cruise also confessed his admiration for the Queen in May before performing in the Platinum Jubilee’s Gallop Through History equestrian competition.

“She’s just a woman I really admire. I think she is a person of great dignity and I admire her dedication. What she achieved belongs to history,” he shared.

The heir to the throne’s brother, Prince Harry, sources say, flew home to California after spending 45 minutes with Charles III. The Duke of Sussex met his father at Clarence House during his 24-hour visit, but did not meet William. Meanwhile, according to royal expert Katie Nicoll, Charles III is “desperate” to make peace with Harry.

The prince was staying at a luxury London hotel to show the royal family that he was able to “support himself” financially, according to the king’s former butler. The move comes after the king famously stripped Harry and Meghan of their right to tax-funded police protection after they stepped down as working members of the royal family.