London Boy! Taylor Swift reveals all about her backstage encounter with Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at the Eras Tour
God, she loves the English… Taylor Swift opened up about their royal encounter on the New Heights podcast
Though she once declared So Long, London, Taylor Swift is famously a fan of the British city she called home for a few short years. According to London Boy, high tea, nights in Brixton and rugby were all favourites of the pop-Princess. So it was quite fitting for her to kick off the London leg of the cultural juggernaut that was The Era’s Tour last year, with a royal meet and greet. Accompanied by her tight-end American boyfriend, Travis Kelce, Taylor snapped a selfie with the Prince of Wales and his children ahead of her Wembley performance.
Now, with the announcement of her new album, Life of A Showgirl, Taylor is reminiscing on the moment she introduced Prince William to Travis, or more specifically his brother Jason – who had quite the mental dilemma around whether he should remain holding his beer.
Sitting down for her first ever podcast, Taylor treated Swifties to a two hour episode on New Heights – hosted by Travis and his brother Jason. The Kelce sibling’s podcast is usually reserved for insider access to life in the American-Football league, but for Taylor’s takeover the trio chatted about her music (new and old), the Era’s tour and their shared encounter with the Royal family.
Reminiscing on Travis's major debut on the Wembley stage, Taylor said, ‘wasn’t this the week that I got to watch Jason meet the Royal Family?' She and her guy on the Chiefs then proceeded to poke fun at the former Philadelphia Eagles Center for his hesitancy to meet the Wales family.
When the singer asked her almost-brother-in-law if he wanted to accompany her to greet Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, his immediate concern was the beverage he was holding. Taylor recalled, ‘I watched him have this moment with his beer where he’s just like, “But I want to take it. But I know that I probably should not take it.”'
‘“If I don’t have this beer what do I do with this hand now”,’ she continued in response to Jason’s agreement of his thought process. ‘Is it disrespectful to have a beer when you meet royalty?’ he chimed in. ‘“Or am I just, like, being authentic by having the beer? I would normally have the beer. Wouldn’t they want me to be myself?” 'I’m watching you say that in your head,' she added, clarifying that it was 'fantastic' for her to watch.
It echoes the similar sentiments Travis previously shared of his experience meeting the royals backstage, calling the family an ‘absolute delight’. ‘We met royalty, guys,' Kelce said. 'There was royalty at the show. I got there early and got to meet Prince William. How about that? Your Royal Highness.’ He professed to love meeting the young princess in particular, referring to Charlotte as ‘a superstar. She had [a] fire to her. She was asking questions.’
'I love it when parents ask their kids to be present, be vocal… Encourage them to take a lead in the conversation.’ As for William, Kelce hailed him as ‘the coolest motherf*****’ – a description one doesn’t often hear of the future King, but complimentary nonetheless.
Much like his elder brother, the Kansas City Chiefs player expressed his nerves at greeting the royals, as he was unsure what kind of etiquette or protocol would apply. ‘I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to, like, bow to them, curtsy, just be an American idiot and shake their hand,’ he laughed. ‘We wanted to be polite, especially on this side of the pond.’ Kelce’s brother added that the meeting turned out to be very relaxed. ‘We didn’t have to bow,’ he said, ‘because we weren’t at an elegant, official royal event’. He was still somewhat in awe of the heir to the throne, however: ‘I’ve never seen you give someone that much respect,’ Kelce joked. ‘You put your beer ten feet away from you!’
It’s not the first time Swift has been connected with Prince William, a fact which Kelce referenced on the podcast. The two once engaged in an infamous karaoke session at the Winter Whites Gala evening at Kensington Palace in 2013, during which Swift coaxed William on stage to perform Livin’ On A Prayer with Bon Jovi. The prince jokingly played air guitar and high-fived everyone, as well as singing along with the pop legends.
‘To this day, I still do not know what came over me,’ William said of the moment in a 2021 interview. ‘I don't understand why I gave in. But, frankly, if Taylor Swift looks you in the eye, touches your arm, and says, “Come with me…” I got up like a puppy and went, “Yeah, okay, that seems like a great idea. I'll follow you.”’
Which would again explain the future King’s enthusiastic appearance at the Wembley show. He was spotted dancing to Swift’s classic hit, Shake It Off, in the stalls just like the other concert-goers. The fact that Prince William showed off some delightfully uninhibited moves (as well he might have been, given it was his birthday) in his private box next to Prince George and Princess Charlotte quickly went viral on social media – as did the selfie Swift posted on her own Instagram, featuring herself, Kelce and the Wales family. ‘Happy birthday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start,’ she captioned the photo, the like-count of which quickly surpassed 10 million.
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