You’ve been warned Ethan Hunt! The Prince of Wales gave Tom Cruise a special shoutout in his speech on Wednesday at London’s Air Ambulance Charity’s fundraising gala, during which he jokingly asked that the Hollywood star not borrow the charity’s helicopters for his next Mission: Impossible film.
“I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my, our fellow pilot, Tom Cruise,” Prince William said. “Tom, huge thanks for supporting us tonight. And Tom, if you wouldn’t mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next Mission: Impossible, it would be appreciated. We’ve all seen on our screens that, how can I put it, you seem to have a different take on normal wear and tear to the rest of us. It’s not the kind that buffs out.”
In his remarks at the event, the Prince also expressed his gratitude for the “kind messages of support” for his wife Catherine as she continues to recover from abdominal surgery, and for his father King Charles , who began treatment for cancer earlier this week.
“It means a great deal to us all,” he said. “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather medical focus. So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!”
Prince William, who is a former air ambulance pilot, became patron of London’s Air Ambulance Charity in 2020. According to the charity, its 2024 Black and White Gala Ball raised a record-breaking £1.2 million. The event on Wednesday was His Royal Highness’ second engagement of the day. Earlier, Prince William carried out an investiture at Windsor Castle, which marked his first public appearance since his father’s cancer diagnosis was made public, as well as his first royal engagement since the Princess of Wales’ surgery last month.
The Daily Mail previously reported that Prince William “has no further duties scheduled this week and will be with Kate and the children again next week during their half-term holiday.” A source told the outlet, “The Prince has always made clear that his priority is to support his wife and family for the time being – and he did not put a timescale on that,” adding, “He will make a return to duties on Wednesday but you should not expect to see him again for a bit after that.”
