Who is Tom Hardy’s wife Charlotte Riley – who once played Kate Middleton? (2024)

Tom Hardy is proving once again that he’s not only effortlessly cool, but also just a down to earth, likeable sorta guy.

In photos shared in British media last week, the 46-year-old could be seen laughing and joking with crew members on the set of Venom 3 in New York City which had resumed filming after last year’s writer’s strike. The Brit was casually dressed with a grey shirt and blue jeans as he strolled the streets and interacted with a cameraman and the film’s director, Kelly Marcel.

Back in November, Hardy also took to Instagram to thank the cast and crew of the production before shooting began on the Marvel franchise’s third instalment. In the caption, he said he wanted to “take a moment just to thank all the teams thus far on the ride from V1 to here, all our fantastic cast and crew – good friends and family”.

He added that he was grateful to be “surrounded by talented and passionate departments and when surrounded by people you love and care about it doesn’t get any better”. And while Hardy generally keeps his personal life under wraps, he does occasionally open up about his family too – including his wife, Charlotte Riley.

Here’s what we know about her.

Charlotte Frances Riley is an English actress

Just like her famous husband, Riley is also an actress. According to her IMDb profile, she is best known for her role as Catherine Earnshaw in ITV’s 2009 adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which she starred in alongside Hardy. She has also appeared in films including London Has Fallen with Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman; Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt; and In the Heart of the Sea with Chris Hemsworth and Cillian Murphy. She also played Kate Middleton in a 2017 BBC adaptation of the play King Charles III, and played May Carleton in Peaky Blinders.

When asked by The Guardian how her family reacted to the news of her playing Middleton in the TV film, she said “they all howled with laughter and said: ‘What are they doing, employing someone from [Yorkshire] to play Kate Middleton?’”.

She founded a childcare company

The 42-year-old is also the founder of a company called WonderWorks which provides on-site childcare for parents working on film and TV sets, shares People. According to the outlet, the company even has a permanent nursery at the Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden, England.

How did Tom Hardy meet his wife, Charlotte Riley?

As reported by People magazine, the couple met for the first time on the set of Wuthering Heights, which Hardy also acted in, in 2009. Hardy then proposed just one year later.

When did Tom Hardy and Charlotte Riley get married?

According to Hello!, the duo tied the knot in a “beautiful, low-key ceremony” in the south of France in 2014.

How many children does Charlotte Riley have?

According to People, Hardy and Riley have two children together. Riley is also stepmother to Hardy’s son Louis, who he shares with his ex-girlfriend Rachael Speed.

In Riley’s interview with The Guardian in 2017, she was asked how her life compared to that of Middleton’s – another mother with a famous husband. “It must be hard having to share your kids with the nation,” she said of the duch*ess of Sussex. “I keep my family very private but I’m not under a fraction of the pressure she is. People have understandable problems with the royals but I wouldn’t want to live even a day in their shoes.”

Being parents has changed both Riley and Hardy’s lives. Becoming a dad helped Hardy on his journey to sobriety. “It’s the best thing I could have wished for. I was very self-indulgent for a long time and I was only thinking about my own stupid stuff and myself,” he told Hello! magazine in 2015. “Having a child lifts you out of that selfish behaviour.”

Who is Tom Hardy’s ex-wife?

Before finding love with Riley, Hardy was married to a woman called Sarah Ward from 1999 to 2004. However, not much is known about their relationship, as they too were very private.