Prince William made a tongue-in-cheek dig at Tom Cruise during his speech at the Air Ambulance Charity Gala Dinner held at the luxurious Raffles hotel in central London on Wednesday.
The Prince of Wales especially mentioned the actor as he spoke about the need for new helicopters for the London Air Ambulance fleet. He first praised the "top class care" provided by the the team saying, "Here in London, the current aircraft have served magnificently."
Then he stressed the need for additional helicopters so the team, which brings emergency responders to the scene of incidents anywhere in London, can continue with their work.
"But our capital city needs a new fleet. And we are up against time. The clue really is in the appeal's name. By September, we need the two new red birds — decked with the latest kit such as night vision — in our skies," Prince William continued and then seemingly appealed to Cruise for his help.
"I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my - our - fellow pilot, Tom Cruise. Tom, huge thanks for supporting us tonight."
The 41-year-old then poked fun at the "Mission Impossible" star when he jokingly asked him not to destroy any of the charity's helicopters. The royal teased: "And Tom if you wouldn't mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next Mission Impossible, it would be appreciated.
"We have 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."
Hear hear.. Our Prince of Wales delivered his speech, short and sweet, Bravo William, we love you.
— Laura Ashley (@LauraAs08443328) February 8, 2024
👍👍👍👏👏👏👏❤❤ pic.twitter.com/MG0RU4ypmS
The Prince of Wales’s speech at the @LDNairamb Charity Gala Dinner in London this evening. pic.twitter.com/U6Ssp4e92c
— Majesty Magazine & Joe Little (@MajestyMagazine) February 7, 2024
Prince William, who has been patron of London's Air Ambulance for four years, could be referring to one of the action scenes in "Mission: Impossible - Fallout," which showed two helicopters crash into each other and end up exploding on the side of a mountain.
Celebrating the heroes of the @LDNairamb. Their speed, expertise and unwavering dedication makes the city safer 🚁 pic.twitter.com/X0rZ9XPR26
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 7, 2024
Elsewhere in his speech, the future king also made light of the past week's events, telling the audience that "the past few weeks have had a rather 'medical' focus," so he thought "to come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all".
Prince William also shared his gratitude to the well-wishes his wife, Kate Middleton, and his father, King Charles III has received following news of their respective medical conditions. She is recovering from abdominal surgery while the King is being treated for cancer.
"I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all," he continued.
Prince William later took to social media to post his photo with Cruise and wrote: "Fancy seeing you here, @TomCruise."
Fancy seeing you here, @TomCruise! 🚁 pic.twitter.com/JGYspIz2Eo
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 7, 2024
