Prince William appeared to be in excellent spirits at a gala for London’s Air Ambulance Charity, especially when in the company of actor Tom Cruise. As reported by Hello!, William fondly reminisced about the special jet-themed footwear he sported when he attended the 2022 premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick,” quipping to Cruise, “I haven’t got my ‘Top Gun’ slippers on.”
The comedian cracked another joke when he took the stage to address the crowd. “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus,” he said. “So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!” Fans of the royal family have spent weeks worrying about Kate Middleton in the wake of her abdominal surgery and are now concerned about King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis. Given the gravity of these health issues, some people found William’s joke in poor taste. “Is this how you expected your future King to speak about ailing family members?” one person tweeted. “Shouldn’t he be displaying the utmost concern for such a *serious* illness & the *mysterious* absence of the wife?” Another critic wrote, “He needs a new ‘joke’ writer and coached on his delivery!” William’s every action as monarch will come under similar scrutiny, so if he truly doesn’t feel like he’s ready to take his father’s place, it’s easy to see why he might be reticent to have that heavy crown placed on his head.
