Inside Prince William and Taylor Swift’s friendship
Taylor Swift posed for a selfie with Prince William, George, 10, and Charlotte, nine, as she kicked off the London leg of her Eras Tour at Wembley on Friday.
The Prince and Princess of Wales‘s official X account posted the adorable photo with the caption: ‘Thank you Taylor Swift for a great evening!’
During the concert, where the pop star performed in front of fans, celebrities and politicians, as well as her American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Prince of Wales, 42, was filmed breaking out his best ‘dad dancing’ moves as Taylor sang her hit Shake it Off.
The sweet selfie shared by the Queen of Pop did not mark her first encounter with William.
In November 2013, the pair made headlines when they took to the stage during a charity event to sing a song together – with Jon Bon Jovi.
Pop Queen Taylor Swift shared a selfie of herself with Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte as well as her boyfriend Travis Kelce
Taylor and Prince William’s connection goes back to 2013, when the pair performed with Bon Jovi (pictured) on stage during a charity event in London
The unlikely trio sang a rendition of the Bon Jovi hit Livin’ On A Prayer, with William even playing the air guitar before high-fiving his bandmates.
According to event organisers, the performance, at the Winter Whites Gala evening at Kensington Palace, was totally impromptu.
Taylor gave a speech during the evening during which she mentioned the then-Duke of Cambridge.
She said: ‘I’m Taylor, it is very nice to meet you, especially under these circumstances. It is my first time playing at Kensington Palace or any other palace for that matter.
‘I have to thank you, Prince William, for having me. It’s amazing.
‘To call attention to this age group especially, teens and young adults.’
Later describing her meeting with Prince William, she laughed: ‘He was very funny. I was really happy he was funny.’
The pop star and Prince were snapped sitting next to each other throughout the evening, where they were seen smiling and laughing while conversing.
Prince William is pictured busting of his ‘dad dancing’ moves while attending Taylor Swift’s concert at Wembley
Describing the impromptu party during an interview with The Mail on Sunday shortly after the event, Taylor said: ‘I could hear his voice and it’s pretty good. A nice tone. I’d definitely say he has got star quality and if he ever wants me to sing with him again, I’ll be there.’
Speaking about the event in 2021, the Prince said he obeyed ‘like a puppy’ when the glamorous pop star ordered him on stage for the impromptu performance with Jon Bon Jovi.
Recalling a fundraising gala in November 2013 for the homeless charity Centrepoint, a cause first championed by his late mother Princess Diana, the royal said: ‘I can’t believe I’m actually telling you this story… I turn up and Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift are at the event, which nearly knocked me off my feet.
‘And then, I went inside, met everybody, a lot of handshaking to do those nights, a lot of chatting. I try and be charming and interactive.
‘Occasionally, you’re not having a good day, and it’s a little harder to come by.
Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge sing on stage at the Centrepoint Gala Dinner at Kensington Palace on November 26, 2013 in London
‘When I sat down to watch Jon Bon Jovi do his performance, I thought, “That’s it. My job is done. I’ll get a dinner in a minute, and I might be able to have a chat to some people, and, you know, I’m off-duty a little bit now.” ‘
But matters did not go according to that plan.
‘Little did I think what was going to happen next,’ he adds. ‘I’m sat next to Taylor Swift. She’s on my left – and after Jon does his first song, there’s a pause and she turns to me.
‘She puts her hand on my arm, looks me in the eye and says, “Come on, William. Let’s go and sing.”
‘To this day, I still do not know what came over me. Honestly, even now I’m cringing at what happened next, and 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, OK, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you.”
‘I walked up on stage in a trance and then sort of halfway through Jon Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer song, I wake up.
Taylor Swift performed hits like Shake It Off on the opening night of her Eras Tour run in London
Taylor Swift’s various costumes for Friday night’s sell-out Wembley gig included a white gown with her lyrics written on it
‘And I’m thinking to myself, “Am I standing on the stage singing Livin’ On A Prayer when I don’t even know the words?”
Three years later, and Prince William’s position as a Swiftie was confirmed after he was filmed dancing during Taylor’s Wembley concert, which was attended by 90,000 other fans.
After the video from last night’s concert was posted on X (formerly Twitter), a number of delighted fans commented on the footage.
One wrote: ‘This is my favourite thing ever!!! I never knew I needed to see Prince William dancing to Taylor Swift!’
Another poster wrote: ‘Prince William is a Swiftie. Immense dad dancing there.’
