Tom Cruise Appearing at the Queen's Jubilee Celebration Causes Confusion

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise caused confusion among Brits on Sunday with a special appearance at a Platinum Jubilee celebration for Queen Elizabeth II, where he praised the monarch's "dignity" and "devotion" to her country.

The Risky Business and Top Gun star surprised tourists in Windsor town by walking to the Royal Windsor Horse Show event ground where he was a guest host at the Platinum Jubilee Celebration—A Gallop Through History which saw over 500 horses and 1,000 participants pay tribute to the queen.

This year marks the queen's Platinum Jubilee, celebrating her 70 years on the throne, the first of its kind in the British monarchy's history. A central weekend of celebrations is planned in London at the beginning of June but the monarch's attendance at these was called into question last week when she had to pull out of the State Opening of Parliament owing to "episodic mobility problems."

The queen attended the Gallop Through History spectacular on Sunday with the event being described by Cruise as an "honor" to be involved with before he went on to introduce the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery section of the event.

The Mission Impossible star noted for his thrill-seeking tendencies described the Troop's performance as "one of the most enthralling, thrilling, heart-in-mouth displays in the land if not the world."

Speaking to British television network ITV before the event, Cruise called the queen "a woman who I greatly admire," adding that, "I think she's someone who has tremendous dignity and I admire her devotion."

"What she's accomplished has been historic...I have great respect for her and when they asked [me to take part in this event] I said instantly, 'it would be my honor' to be here."

Cruise's involvement in the evening however, caused consternation on social media with former royal chef Darren McGrady taking to Twitter, writing:

"Why was @TomCruise part of the British/Commonwealth #PlatinumJubileeCelebration Seriously, just wondering."

And writer Catherine Jones posted: "This #PlatinumJubilee thingy on ITV looks like a right dog's dinner. Is it live or isn't it? Are we going to have adverts inflicted on us every 10 minutes? And why the hell is Tom Cruise involved?"

Cruise has a long association with the U.K. which may account for his involvement with the event, using the county as filming base for his Mission Impossible series and other projects.

Bella Cruise, the star's adopted daughter with actress Nicole Kidman, also lives in Britain with her husband, Max Parker.

As an American who has had the opportunity to meet many members of the royal family, including Princess Diana and Prince Philip, Cruise said of the queen in the pre-show interview:

"Not just Americans but the world knows the dignity, devotion and kindness, that is what I have always felt about her. Someone that understands her position and has held it through a history that's just been extraordinary the past 70 years."

The star's new movie release Top Gun: Maverick will receive a special royal premiere, it was announced on Friday, with Prince William and Kate Middleton confirmed to be attending. The premiere, to be held on Thursday in London's Leicester Square, is being hosted by Paramount Pictures and The Film and TV Charity and will mark the 72nd Royal Film Performance of its kind.

Cruise was not the only Hollywood heavy hitter to take part in the equestrian jubilee celebration, Dame Helen Mirren, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in the movie The Queen, performed a speech as Queen Elizabeth I and Homeland star Damian Lewis opened the proceedings.

The queen arrived at the show in a royal procession headed by the Household Cavalry and was filmed responding positively to the events throughout.

The queen's jubilee celebrations in June will include a special Trooping of the Colour ceremony, a pop concert outside Buckingham Palace and a pageant along The Mall which will include the gold state coach used at royal coronations.