WASHINGTON: In the weeks before Queen Elizabeth’s death, the late monarch had found a new pal in Hollywood star Tom Cruise.
She and the ‘Top Gun’ actor “really hit it off” over the summer, a source told a British media outlet, according to page six.
The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations that marked her 70th anniversary on the throne had been attended by Cruise; however, the ailing royal was unable to meet the ‘Mission Impossible’ star as she suffering from mobility issues.
“The Queen let it be known that she was really disappointed not to have met Tom at the pageant, so he was invited to have a special tour of Windsor Castle with everything laid on for him. Afterwards, just the two of them had tea together,” reported Page Six.
The visit was a success, with Cruise given the chance to fire a ceremonial gun. “She loved seeing him and they really hit it off, so much so that she invited him back for lunch. He was even allowed to fly in by helicopter,” the source added.
This newly-formed friendship could have continued with a lunch date, but it could not as Elizabeth died on September 8 at the age of 96, before they could reunite.
Cruise had spoken of his admiration for the Queen during a television interview that happened before the Platinum Jubilee’s Gallop Through History equine pageant in May.
“She’s just a woman that I greatly admire. I think she is someone who has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion. What she has accomplished has been historic,” he said at the time, as per Page Six. (ANI)