Tom Cruise praises 'dear friend' Prince William's climate work at Earthshot

Tom Cruise has nothing but praise and admiration for his “dear friend” and the future king, Prince William.

On Thursday, November 6, the Hollywood superstar, 63, made a surprise appearance via video at the Prince of Wales’ Earthshot Prize Awards in Rio de Janeiro, congratulating the evening’s winners and finalists for their planet-saving innovations.

“Good evening Rio, my dear friend your royal highness…I’m sorry I couldn’t be there in person to celebrate with you all but I wanted to take a moment to congratulate tonight’s winners and to congratulate every finalist, and thank you for all the great work you’re doing,” Cruise said in his prerecorded message, per the Daily Express UK.

“Reminding us what’s possible when commitment meets purpose, but thank you for all the work you do and congratulations again, enjoy your evening,” he added.

Prince William launched The Earthshot Prize in 2020 to spotlight and fund creative solutions that can help repair the planet. Each year, five winners receive grants to expand their projects aimed at tackling the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Delivering his own powerful speech at the ceremony, the Prince of Wales said, “The issues that continue to face our world are a threat to all of us, but when we unite, our momentum is unstoppable. The momentum to face any challenge, no matter how intimidating. The momentum to achieve truly astonishing impact, faster than imagined.”

The Mission: Impossible star wasn’t the only Hollywood name to lend support.

Leonardo DiCaprio also delivered a pre-recorded message urging leaders to take stronger action for the planet, calling Brazil “home to 60 per cent of the Amazon, the lungs of the Earth and one of our planet’s vital life support systems.”