It looks like Tom Cruise has settled very nicely into his new life in London, where the quintessentially American movie star is said to host Sunday tea parties, hang out with Prince William at swanky galas and has reportedly launched a serious romance with one of the Russian socialites whose extravagant lifestyles have helped turn the British capital into “Londongrad.”
Filming the latest installments of his “Mission: Impossible” franchise brought the Cruise to the U.K., where he found “a place to call home” in London, a source told In Touch last year.
“Tom loves the rainy weather, the people, taking long walks in the city,” the insider. “He’s never had a place to call home before, not really, but he’s finally found that in London.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge are accompanied by star actor Tom Cruise as they arrive for the “Top Gun: Maverick” Royal Film Performance at Leicester Square on May 19, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
As part of establishing himself in London, one of the world’s most famous actors has apparently become chummy with members of the British royal family. In 2022, the attended the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, the British Grand Prix and the splashy London premiere of “Top Gun: Maverick” with special guests Kate Middleton and Prince William. He also recorded a “Top Gun”-related tribute to King Charles III for his June 2023 coronation, inviting the new monarch to “be my wingman any time.” More recently, Cruise was photographed with the Prince of Wales at a Feb. 7 gala for the London Air Ambulance charity.
Cruise also has begun a relationship with London-based socialite Elsina Khayrova, with things getting serious enough that he has met her two children from her former marriage to Russian diamond dealer Dimitry Tsvetkov, Page Six reported this week. But Cruise’s romance with the former model has raised eyebrows because her father is an ally of Vladimir Putin and her oligarch ex-husband is on a Kremlin “wanted list,” according to news reports.
Khayrova’s divorce from Tsvetkov also made her infamous in London high society when a judge scolded her for “dishonesty” because she hid assets, including her $1.2 million collection of handbags. Lots of property and money was reportedly at stake in the 2021 divorce, including a mansion in Surrey, England, five London apartments, a Bentley, a Ferrari, Cartier jewelry and artwork by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Marc Chagall.
Page Six reported that Cruise, 61, met Khayrova, 36, in the most British way possible — while having tea together. In fact, Cruise met the divorcee when a friend brought her to one of the exclusive tea parties he has been hosting at his Hyde Park penthouse.
“Tom has been having tea parties on Sundays in London,” a source told Page Six. “He has butlers and homemade cakes and it’s all very British. Someone brought her.”
The source also told Page Six that Cruise’s tea parties attract the society elite, while the Daily News previously reported on speculation that Prince William and Kate Middleton have stopped by one of parties.
The Daily News also said that the parties begin promptly at 4 p.m. and feature music spun by a DJ. “Spies” in his building’s lobby also have reported on “lots of beautiful women coming and going from the apartment on Sundays,” Page Six said. But very important for the “Top Gun” star and his high-profile guests: All attendees and staff must sign non-disclosure agreements.
Cruise’s romance with Khayrova first became known in Demember when the Daily Mail reported that the thrice-married Cruise was seen “canoodling” with her at a posh party in London’s upscale Mayfair district.
“They were inseparable — clearly a couple,” one guest at the almost entirely Russian event told the Daily Mail. “He seemed to be besotted with her.”
A week later, the “Risky Business” actor rented out an entire floor of the swanky London restaurant Novikov so they could dine privately on $600 of lobster, seafood and sushi, Page Six also reported.
But even while socializing with royals and an oligarch’s ex-wife, Cruise still finds a “sense of normalcy” in the British capital that he couldn’t find in Los Angeles or elsewhere in America, In Touch Weekly reported.
“If he wears a hat and mask, he can slip into bookstores or antique shops and no one knows it’s him,” the insider continues. “He’s got family living there, too, which gives him a sense of belonging.”
This mention of family mostly refers to his adult daughter, Isabella Cruise, who is married and an artist living in London. Isabella, also known as Bella, is one of two children whom Cruise adopted with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman. Bella Cruise was raised in the Church of Scientology and reportedly has become a top recruiter for the controversial organization in the U.K.
Cruise himself also has been a regular presence at the church’s UK headquarters in the countryside of West Sussex and stayed there during COVID-19 lockdown, The Daily Mail reported in 2020.
Specifically, the “Jerry Maguire” star stayed in the headquarters’ luxury wing during lockdown, where he was able to dine on food prepared by a Michelin-starred chef and enjoy workouts in its state-of-the-art fitness center, the Daily Mail reported. Cruise’s three sisters and other members of his extended family also joined him at the headquarters during lockdown.
