The Queen and Tom Cruise ‘really hit it off’ when they met this summer

The Queen and Tom Cruise ‘really hit it off’ when she invited the Hollywood star for tea in her final weeks at Windsor Castle – and even let him land his helicopter on her lawn, it has emerged. 

Her Majesty had been disappointed that she had not got to meet the Top Gun star during a Platinum Jubilee event.

But insiders said the late monarch ‘loved seeing him’ when she invited him for tea over the summer.

And Cruise was even invited back for lunch – but sadly the Queen passed away before that could happen.

They had originally been due to meet in May at A Gallop Through History, an equestrian event in the Castle grounds

The Hollywood star, who had been filming his latest Mission Impossible film in the UK, said: ‘She’s just a woman that I greatly admire. I think she is someone who has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion.

‘What she has accomplished has been historic. I just remember always as a kid seeing photos of her.’

A source told The Times: ‘The Queen let it be known she was really disappointed not to have met Tom at the pageant.

‘So he was invited to have a special tour of Windsor Castle with everything laid on for him. Afterwards, just the two of them had tea together.

‘She loved seeing him and they really hit it off, so much so that she invited him back for lunch.’