Prince William's arrival at the charity premiere of Tom Cruise's new Top Gun: Maverick film in Leicester Square set thousands of fans abuzz thanks to his surprising choice of footwear.
Donning an elegant midnight blue McQueen jacket with black tuxedo trousers and matching bow tie, William stepped onto the red carpet with Duchess Kate who looked beautiful in a monochromatic Roland Mouret dress. But did you spot William's funky footwear? The Duke of Cambridge donned black velvet loafers by Crockett & Jones, boldly embroidered with airplanes.
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Not just any airplanes, F18 aircrafts specifically, just like the ones from the original 1986 Top Gun film!
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam's funky Crockett & Jones loafers
The funky white and blue motifs on William's otherwise conservative outfit prompted plenty of excited chatter, with William ultimately confiding how he felt finally seeing the long-awaited sequel to Top Gun. "This is very exciting," he told Alfie Everett-Fletcher, nine, whose father John Fletcher is managing director of Paramount UK.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince William greets a young aviation enthusiast
Prince William is a trained RAF helicopter pilot and speaking afterwards, Alfie said: "He (William) asked me what I liked about the last film and if I liked planes and jets and motorbikes. He said he was a big fan of the film and cars and stuff."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesHundreds of fans clamoured to see the Duke and Duchess
Tom Cruise, who both stars in and produced the film, also enthused about the Duke of Cambridge's love of airplanes and warmly said it was something that they had in common. "We have a lot in common, we love England, the duke and I are both aviators. So we love flying."
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© Photo: Getty ImagesTom Cruise and Prince William bond over a love of flying
59-year-old Cruise and legendary producer Jerry Bruckheimer introduced the royal couple to the film's stars, including Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Connelly and actor Jon Hamm, best known for the series Mad Men.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam and Kate met the Top Gun stars on the impressive red carpet backdrop
Hundreds of eager fans waited for hours to watch the stars appear for the Royal Film Performance which took place in aid of The Film and TV Charity and against the backdrop of a real P51 fighter plane, like the one Cruise pilots in the film. What a night for Top Gun fans, royals included!
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