The actor, 59, looked barely an inch shorter than the Duchess of Cambridge, who measures 5ft 9, as he stood beside her at the event in London‘s Leicester Square.

Stepping up: She’s two inches taller than him, but Tom Cruise still managed to measure up to Kate Middleton as they stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere

Tom, widely thought to wear lifts in his shoes, boosted his height with a pair of black suit shoes with a stacked heel as he stepped out in a black tuxedo at the premiere.

Kate, who attended the event with her husband Prince William, looked elegant in an off-the-shoulder black dress which she teamed with pointed black high heels.

Tom gave Kate, 40, a helping hand as they climbed the red carpet staircase, and he appeared almost the same height as the mother-of-three as they took the stairs side-by-side.

Deceptive: The 5ft 7 actor, 59, looked barely an inch shorter than the Duchess of Cambridge, who measures 5ft 9, as he stood alongside her at the event in London’s Leicester Square

It is not the first time that Tom’s apparently ever-changing height has been noticed as he has appeared to be the same height as many of his taller female co-stars at events, sparking speculation he wears shoe lifts.

What’s in those shoes? Tom, widely thought to wear lifts in his shoes, boosted his height in black suit shoes with a stacked heel

While he has never commented on the theory, Tom was often pictured matching the height of his ex-wife Katie Holmes, who at 5ft 9 and wearing heels at least three inches high, should have dwarfed him in stature.

The rumours resurfaced again when Tom was on the promotional trail for the 2010 action film Knight And Day. At many promotional events he would match the height of his co-star Cameron Diaz, who is 5ft 9.

Inserts are insoles that can be placed inside a shoe to lift the wearer’s heel up, giving them some extra height and making them appear taller.

A more extreme alternative, the so-called ‘elevator shoe’, sees the lift made an integral part of the footwear, allowing a man to boost his height by as much as four inches.

A full set of shoe lifts can cost £250, while a single pair of off-the-shelf elevator shoes will set you back between £50 and £100, with bespoke pairs costing up to £1,700.

Elsewhere at the star-studded premiere, which came one day after Top Gun: Maverick’s screening at Cannes Film Festival, Tom was seen mingling with his co-stars Miles Teller and Jennifer Connolly.

The shrinking man: It is not the first time that Tom’s apparently ever-changing height has been noticed, with Tom matching the height of his 5ft 9 ex-wife Katie Holmes on their wedding day (left in 2006) yet being dwarfed by her frame on other outings (pictured right in 2011)

How is this possible? While he has never commented on the theory that he wears heel lifts, he managed to match the height of his co-star Cameron Diaz, who is 5ft 9 while on the promotional trail for his 2010 film Knight and Day

The sequel to Tony Scott’s classic 1986 blockbuster Top Gun has been unanimously praised in early reviews with one even declaring that it ‘improves upon the original in every conceivable way’.

Tom, who is famous for doing his own stunts, is said to have trained to withstand G-force power and actually flew in real fighter jets for the sequel.

Peter Hoskin for the Daily Mail gave the film five stars, writing: ‘Whenever the film threatens to become too cosy, it shocks itself – and us – back into the present with another madly ambitious action sequence.’

Looking tall: Tom gave Kate, 40, a helping hand as they climbed the staircase, and he appeared to be almost the same height as the mother-of-three as they took the stairs side-by-side

Heels: Kate, who attended the event with her husband Prince William, looked elegant in an off-the-shoulder black dress which she teamed with pointed black steep high heels

Heel lifts: Tom’s fluctuating height has sparked speculation he wears shoe inserts, which are are insoles that can be placed inside a shoe to lift the wearer’s heel up

Chatting: At the star-studded premiere, Tom was seen mingling with his co-stars Miles Teller and Jennifer Connolly

Tom – who plays Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell – underwent a full Aviation Survival Training Curriculum before going up in the US Navy F-18, as did his co-stars.

They worked up to the supersonic jets by going up in a succession of slower planes first over many months.

Much has been made of Tom’s insistence on real flying scenes, with no CGI work. He has said in numerous interviews that he refused to even talk about a Top Gun sequel unless they flew in real planes.

Tom said: ‘For years, people had said, ‘Can’t you shoot [the movie] with CGI?’ And I always said, ‘No. That’s not the experience.’ I said, ‘I need to find the right story. And we’re going to need the right team. This movie is like trying to hit a bullet with a bullet. I’m not playing.’

All together now: The Top Gun: Maverick cast posed for a magnificent group photo in front of a fighter plane

Angelic: Jennifer Connelly, who plays Penny Benjamin, was simply flawless in a floaty cream number with a black floral pattern throughout and bell sleeves