These Famous Men Are Clearly Crushing On Kate Middleton

While some celebrities clearly can't stand Catherine, Princess of Wales, others have acknowledged their admiration for the royal. Many stars who have met Kate, like Billie Eilish and Reese Witherspoon, say the princess is surprisingly affable, a contrast to the rigid rules they were told to follow when encountering a royal. Kate's warm demeanor — and, of course, her stunning looks — even had a few male stars swooning over the years.

From multiple members of One Direction succumbing to the nerves of meeting her to Jack Whitehall outwardly admitting his past infatuation with her, Kate has left a lasting mark on many of Hollywood's greatest men. Notably, since being diagnosed with and beating cancer, the royal has made even more of a splash with celebrities — aside from those who weighed in on her health conspiracies. And though many of them have simply praised Kate from afar, if the Princess and William, Prince of Wales, divorce rumors are true, then we wouldn't be totally shocked if one of these men seizes the opportunity to schmooze their high-status crush.

Jack Whitehall is the only one on this list to have openly admitted his feelings for Kate Middleton. During the 2014 Royal Variety Performance, the comedian explained how he and the princess both attended Marlborough College as teens, with Whitehall a few years behind Kate. "I don't know whether it's appropriate given the circumstances, but you were probably my first ever crush," Whitehall said, adding, "Okay, definitely inappropriate. Your Highness [Prince William] is giving me a very sharp look."

Revealing on "The Jonathan Ross Show" that he "flirted a little" with the future queen during his performance, Whitehall also recalled Prince William's reaction when he approached the performer after the event. "He was very nice, but he was very passive-aggressive: 'Oh, so you were flirting with my missus? Oh no, no, that was very, very funny,'" Whitehall said, repeating William. When Ross pulled up a picture of the pair shaking hands, the comedian mused, "That's him [saying], 'I could have you beheaded!'" Fortunately for William, Whitehall said he never had a shot because Kate was much older and he, as he notes, wore headgear. But she will forever be "the one that got away."

Tom Cruise's relationship with Kate Middleton has quite a history. The actor has been noted in the press as a friend of the royal family, even attending the coronation of King Charles III in 2023. But one bold move that Cruise made left the public wondering if he was trying to woo the princess. A video of Kate and Cruise at the 2022 premiere of "Top Gun: Maverick" went viral after the Hollywood star took the royal's hand as she made her way up the steps on the red carpet. The breach in royal etiquette seemingly made Kate and William act awkward in the moments after. One Facebook user suggested a reason for Cruise's taboo gesture, saying, "Maybe Tom was in awe of her beauty ... he forgot the protocol."

It wasn't the last time Cruise was too smitten to control himself. In a much less scandalous moment at Wimbledon in 2025, the "Cocktail" actor was caught on video — posted to TikTok — grinning ear to ear and applauding Kate's arrival into the stands. The standing ovation from the rest of the crowd came in the wake of Kate's cancer recovery. "He's certainly got a huge crush on the princess that's for sure," one TikTok user commented. "Could he clap any harder lol?"

One of the royal family's more endearing celebrity interactions was with the former boy band, One Direction. At the same Royal Variety Performance where Jack Whitehall confessed his love for Princess Kate in 2014, One Direction exchanged pleasantries with the royal and her husband outside the theater. Harry Styles made sure to mention Kate's pregnancy, telling The Mirror: "I said congratulations on the bump." However, he followed that up with a cheeky comment about Kate's stunning figure, saying, "[Though] she didn't look bumpy."

Liam Payne was seemingly a little more timid with the princess than his bandmate. The late singer, who died in 2024 after tragically falling from a hotel balcony, told reporters at the time: "It's the most nervous I think I've ever been in my life." We can venture to say Kate's beauty and charm, mixed with the fear of breaching royal protocol, can make anyone sweat. Louis Tomlinson was kicking himself after not addressing Kate as "Ma'am." It's clear that the band was focused on making a good impression on the royal, but, like many other celebrities, fumbled under the pressure.

Daniel Craig has cultivated such a state of sophistication that his coolness is nearly tangible. But the ever-so-suave 007 didn't have such a way with words when met with Princess Kate. Upon greeting her at the 2021 London premiere of the James Bond film, "No Time to Die," Craig said, "You look jolly lovely!" according to royal editor Rebecca English, who posted about it on X, formerly Twitter. It was certainly a better choice of words than what one commenter on X suggested, writing, "Well he can hardly say 'hubba hubba.'" Another opined: " [I'm] Sure Daniel's heart skipped a little beat."

In their next meeting at Wimbledon in 2023, Craig forgot his English manners. Sitting with his wife, Rachael Weisz, both actors did not stand when greeted by Kate in the stands. Craig took the royal's hand in his, but he didn't bother to leave his seat or take off his sunglasses. The moment accumulated a hefty amount of flak online, with royal columnist Richard Eden giving his two cents on the matter. "This photograph makes me uneasy," he wrote on Instagram. From the photo Eden posted, it looked as if Craig was too enthralled in his conversation with Kate that etiquette went out the window — Tom Cruise understands. And if we know anything about Princess Kate, it's that she isn't afraid to break royal rules herself.

Matthew McConaughey showed off his chivalrous side to Kate Middleton at Wimbledon 2025. The "Interstellar" star gave Kate a standing ovation in the crowd as she and Prince William arrived at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. A video of his kind gesture has since gone viral on X, with someone dubbing him "a lovely southern gentleman." Given that the Texas native is an American, he has no real obligation to formally honor the royal family. But out of respect to Kate, he stood and clapped as she took her seat in the stadium.

That country boy charm may not have made the princess swoon, but it certainly attracted a lot of attention online. "Mathew [sic] has always been a class act," one user wrote. "He's incredibly lovely. Such a good guy," another said. Not to mention, McConaughey was perfectly dressed in his own chic version of tennis whites. There's no way Kate didn't sneak a peek at the Hollywood hunk as she walked by him.