The mystery of Tom Cruise’s Jubilee role

Itook on a mission impossible this week to try to establish why Tom Cruise has agreed to take part in the Royal Windsor Horse Show. With the greatest respect to the Royal family and all of those behind this magnificent display of horsemanship, I didn’t think this most equine of Platinum Jubilee celebrations would be entirely up the Hollywood star’s street.

I mean, this is Tom Cruise we are talking about here; the Scientologist and actor, who does all his own stunts and appears to have barely aged since he starred in the original Top Gun – and who has recently reprised his role as Maverick in the sequel to the 1989 movie by filming scenes in an F-18 fighter jet at 1,189mph.

But tomorrow night, the 59-year-old A-lister will swap the dizzy heights of Tinseltown for a field near Datchet to take Brits on “A Gallop through History”, to mark Her Majesty’s remarkable 70-year reign. You will be able to watch it on ITV at 8pm.

Why is he taking part? No one can quite work it out. Apparently Tom “loves the royals”. And the royals clearly love Cruise after it was revealed by Kensington Palace yesterday that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be attending the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick at Leicester Square on Thursday.

I contacted Cruise’s New York-based publicist for an interview about his previously undisclosed passion but was told, very politely, that there would not be enough time.

Well, to be fair, the man has got a lot on, what with going supersonic one minute and sharing a stage with Omid Djalili, the next.

What about a column for the Telegraph? “My love of the royals, by Tom Cruise.”

Sadly, I am yet to receive a response. Watch this space.