Prince William cracked a few jokes during his first public speech following his father King Charles’ cancer diagnosis and his wife’s abdominal surgery.
The 41-year-old royal family member, who is first in line to the British throne, made the remarks during a pre-dinner speech at a fundraiser for London’s Air Ambulance Charity’s new fleet of helicopters. The “Up Against Time” fundraising appeal was attended by “Top Gun: Maverick” star Tom Cruise.
The Duke of Wales had previously taken time off following his wife’s surgery. King Charles also had surgery last month for an enlarged prostate, which was when his doctors diagnosed him with cancer.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you, also, for the kind messages of support for Catherine and for my father, especially in recent days. It means a great deal to us all,” Prince William said.
He followed with a joke, saying, “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather medical focus, so I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all.”
The royal went on to discuss the goals of the organization and followed up with a shout-out to Cruise. “Here in London, the current aircraft have served magnificently,” he said. “But our capital city needs a new fleet. And we are Up Against Time. The clue really is in the Appeal’s name. By September, we need the two new red birds — decked with the latest kit such as night vision — in our skies.”
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“I should also take this opportunity to give a mention to my — our — fellow pilot, Tom Cruise,” Prince William added. “Tom, huge thanks for supporting us tonight. And Tom, if you wouldn’t mind not borrowing either of the new helicopters for the next ‘Mission Impossible,’ it would be appreciated. We have all seen on our screens that — how can I put it — you seem to have a different take on ‘normal wear and tear’ to the rest of us. It’s not the kind that buffs out.”
William’s younger brother, Prince Harry, was recently in London visiting King Charles after news of his diagnosis broke. According to reports, the siblings did not visit with each other at that time.