Tom Cruise is one celebrity that frequently meets the members of the British Royal Family. In May 2022, Kate Middleton and Prince William attended a special premiere of Tom Cruise’s blockbuster hit, Top Gun: Maverick.
While the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were at the event, Middleton struggled to go up a small set of stairs, then Tom Cruise, being the gentleman he is, decided to hold her hand in order to assist her. While this moment may feel normal to some, it breaks a very important protocol. It is rumored that commoners aren’t supposed to touch royals unless royals initiate contact themselves. In this case, Cruise was the one who initiated the contact.
Tom Cruise held Kate Middleton’s hand
In May 2022, a video went viral in which actor Tom Cruise can be seen holding Kate Middleton‘s hand in order to help her climb a small set of stairs. The video was from a special charity screening of Tom Cruise’s blockbuster hit Top Gun: Maverick which was attended by the Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, and Kate Middleton.
However, a thing to note is that Cruise was the one that initiated the contact as he offered help. This may have been a problem as commoners, even celebrities, aren’t allowed to touch royals unless royals initiate contact.
How did Kate Middleton react?
Obviously, Cruise could have gotten in trouble for this, however, Kate Middleton knew how to handle the situation. As they approached another set of stairs, she switched her handbag into the hand that Cruise held in order to prevent him from doing the same thing again.
There are no official rules about commoners touching the members of the British Royal Family, however, Yahoo! Royal editor Omid Scobie explained that “it comes down to what’s acceptable in society or not” and added that “there are a lot of things that are perceived as royal etiquette or royal protocol that we assume might be the case but aren’t actually.”
If the rule was serious, Middleton would’ve never held Cruise’s hand. Basically, to simplify it, it’s acceptable to hold a royal’s hand but rushing up to a royal in order to hug them would be considered inappropriate.
Tom Cruise has met some members of the Royal Family in the past
Not many people know that Cruise shared a special bond with the late Queen Elizabeth. In May 2022, the actor attended the Platinum Jubilee to celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth’s 70th anniversary on the throne.
However, Cruise left the event early and when the Queen found out, she was “disappointed” but later invited the actor to have tea with her at Windsor Palace. The actor “was even allowed to fly in by helicopter” and land it himself on the lawns of Windsor.
In 1992, the actor also met Princess Diana at a charity premiere of the movie Far and Away. Cruise and his then-wife, Nicole Kidman, were also invited to Princess Diana’s funeral.
Source: Newsweek
