Tom Cruise flew in an odd Christmas present for Prince William and Kate Middleton on a private jet this year

Kate Middleton and Prince William alongside Tom Cruise

(Image credit: Karwai Tang/WireImage and GC Images/GC Images/Future)

published 25 December 2022

Prince William and Kate Middleton received a sweet gift from Top Gun actor Tom Cruise this year, who flew in the present on a private jet from LA.

Kate Middleton and Prince William may have been focused on getting gifts ready for their three young children this Christmas, but this morning they have woken up to a very special delivery from Tom Cruise.
The actor has a gained a reputation for gift giving over the years and regularly flies a special sweet treat to his superstar friends and co-stars each Christmas.
In other royal news, Kate Middleton’s ‘worst Christmas present’ from Prince William explained.

Tom Cruise has made headlines year after year thanks to his unusual Christmas gifting style. Each year as the festive season rolls around, the actor sends special coconut cakes from Los Angeles to all his friends and co-stars using a private jet.

This year, Prince William and Kate Middleton found their way onto the A-list Christmas list after meeting Tom at a private screening of Top Gun 2 last year, and again this year for the premiere of Top Gun Maverick.

The exclusive gift, reserved for only those who Tom holds dearest, reportedly cements William as one of Tom's close friends.

Prince William and Kate Middleton with Tom Cruise

Each year, Tom sends the same 'White Chocolate Coconut Bundt Cake' from Doan’s Bakery in Woodland Hills, LA to those on his list, with each cake reportedly costing him £38.

Speaking about the weight of being added to Tom's Christmas list, one source told The Sun, “This is pretty much the Who’s Who of who matters in global entertainment and showbiz. Adding the royals to the list just shows how their star power travels.”

Prince William and Kate Middleton at Top Gun premiere

Last year, a source close to Tom spoke to The Sun about Tom's unique Christmas gift and why the actor goes to so much trouble sending the cakes across the globe. They said, “It is extravagant, but Tom is an incredibly generous person and he wanted to do something special for everyone.”

The comment came after it was revealed that, in 2021, Tom arranged for 300 of the famous cakes to be shipped over from LA to the UK on his private jet as a gift for his Mission: Impossible 7 crew members.

The Sun speculated that this would mean that Tom splashed out around £11,400 on cake alone - that's before the cost of the private jet!

Related articles:

Charlie Elizabeth Culverhouse is a news writer for Goodtoknow, specialising in family content. She began her freelance journalism career after graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an MA in Magazine Journalism, receiving an NCTJ diploma, and earning a First Class BA (Hons) in Journalism at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute. She has also worked with BBC Good Food and The Independent.