Hollywood actor Tom Cruise considers himself an honorary Brit after making Biggin Hill in Bromley his new home three years ago, but it appears he’s setting his sights on the highest of highs within British society; trying to get even cosier with Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Tom, 62, already has a friendship with the Prince and Princess of Wales – and the wider royal family – having been trusted with a starring role at the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
And as recently as February, the Top Gun star was rubbing shoulders with Prince William at a London Air Ambulance fundraiser. But a source tells Closer Tom has struggled to have any face time with the Waleses since and is growing increasingly frustrated by another famous face who is seemingly being favoured.
The source says, 'Tom really hoped by this time in his English journey he’d be getting invited over for tea at the palace a lot more often. He’s used to people making a big fuss over him so he’s worried he’s getting shunned. He also gets quite jealous when he sees them hanging out with anyone else, especially David Beckham, who was with William last week.'
William appeared with the former footballer at a London Air Ambulance event – the very charity Tom helped him celebrate back in February. The pair unveiled a 'vital' new helicopter for the charity after they raised over £16million from their Up Against Time fundraiser, with William being understood to have personally asked David to front an Omaze campaign for the cause.
Now, in his bid to affirm his position as a favourite of the royals’, Tom is apparently hoping the future King and Queen will help him find a new lover.
'He wants his next leading lady to be a part of British high society, and even better if she’s a proper blue blood and comes rubber stamped by William and Kate, who he considers to be his close friends,” the source continues. 'They’re very polite to him but he doesn’t get to see them on a regular basis, no one really does because that’s just not how they work in terms of their social calendar, but naturally Tom’s having a hard time wrapping his head around that.
'Tom has been sending out regular messages checking in with them but he’s clearly fishing for an invite to get together and it’s just not coming. Everyone’s telling him he needs to relax and stop pressuring them or he could lose them completely. He’s actually in a good position now, but as usual Tom wants more.'
Tom – who isn’t known to have been in an official relationship since his split with Katie Holmes in 2012 – first moved to the UK in 2006 when he bought a 11,000 square feet property in East Grinstead, West Sussex. And since buying a property in the capital’s swanky Mayfair, Tom has seemingly become fixated on wanting to become a big player in the highest of British society.
The source explains: “Tom has been putting a huge amount of time and effort into integrating himself into British high society. He’s not looking at this as a passing phase, he wants to spend the rest of his life in the UK so he’s very passionate about becoming a card-carrying member of high society.
'He will always keep his ties to the US and is a proud American, but simply doesn’t feel the same connection with people there that he’s found in Britain. He loves talking about history and he really admires their respect for the right way to do things. The way British aristocrats carry themselves with such grace, charm, and intellect has completely won Tom over. In his view they have a depth and sophistication that he just doesn’t see in people back home.'
And in a bid to win over the royals, he has been throwing elaborate tea parties structured around ones thrown at Buckingham Palace – but the Waleses are yet to show their faces.
'When Tom is at his place in Mayfair, he hosts tea parties on frequent Sundays and it’s all very traditional with a full tea service, he brags that it’s on par with what you’d get at Buckingham Palace. The guest list is always a who’s who of the British elite, with a smattering of well-heeled expats thrown in. If an A-lister from Hollywood is in town shooting a movie, they will usually get an invite, but they will be in the minority, Tom’s goal is always to have his parties filled with the aristocracy.
'He’s invited William and Kate countless times, they’ve yet to show up. He’s still hopeful one day they’ll be his guests of honour but constantly getting turned down isn’t easy. He can’t help but feel rejected.'
The source continues, 'Lately, he’s grown paranoid, especially when he sees people like the Beckhams, who seem to be the current favourites in high society, getting all this attention from William and Kate. It feeds into his insecurities, and he’s constantly wondering why they have what he doesn’t.'
Of course, this isn’t Tom first dealings with rejection, after his advances were famously shot down by Shakira last year.
The actor was said to be 'absolutely mesmerised' by the singer after meeting her at the F1 Grand Prix in Miami, and believed they 'had a real connection.'
But a source said at the time that the Hips Don’t Lie hitmaker was 'flattered by not interested', adding, 'She doesn’t want to embarrass or upset him, but there’s no attraction or romance on her part – she was just being friendly.'
And friends are now warning he may face the same humiliation if he continues to pursue William and Kate.
'His need for validation sometimes ends up backfiring,' the source says. 'People have warned him not to apply too much pressure, to let things happen naturally. He’s trying to take that advice and be patient, but it’s a struggle. Being patient is not in his nature, but, if he pushes too hard with these aristocratic connections, he risks blowing his chances completely.
'He’s aware that people like William and Kate are incredibly busy, so he’s now looking at turning his attention to others, like the Yorks or even members of the Parker Bowles clan, who might have a little more time for him. Or, at least that’s his hope.'