Is Travis Kelce’s love-in with William a dig at Harry and Meghan?

Prince William seems to have a new superfan – and it’s none other than Travis Kelce, boyfriend of American pop superstar Taylor Swift. 

The Kansas City Chiefs player met the Prince of Wales on Friday night before Taylor’s first Eras Tour show at Wembley Stadium – and was blown away by how ‘awesome’ he was. 

Travis, William, Taylor, as well as Prince George and Princess Charlotte, posed together for a selfie which sent the internet into meltdown, with Taylor quipping ‘happy birthday M8!’ 

Travis has been even more enthusiastic about the royals than his Blank Space singer girlfriend, as the Kelce brothers filmed an entire five-minute segment gushing about the royals on the latest episode of their New Heights podcast. 

The sporting star even made a comment that ‘no other Prince’ is doing it like William. 

Given that Taylor reportedly rejected an invitation to appear on Meghan Markle’s Archetypes podcast last year, could Travis’s comments be seen as a subtle dig at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex? 

Although Taylor will doubtlessly not want to be seen as picking sides, she has a strong history with Prince William, having appeared onstage with him and Bon Jovi back in 2013. 

William himself has made it clear that he is a huge Swiftie, reportedly telling Ronnie Wood that he would only attend a Rolling Stones concert if they brought Taylor along, and was also seen enthusiastically ‘dad dancing’ to Shake It Off in the audience on Friday. 

One royal fan commented on the new selfies by writing: ‘Oh man the shade!!! To not only Meghan & Harry, but also her ex London Boy. Bravo Taylor Swift and Prince William.’

Other posts included ‘Taytay is Team Wales all the way’ and ‘You never saw Harry and Meghan get that close to Taylor Swift. Thanks for choosing the right side Taylor.’

Meghan herself has reportedly attended an Eras tour show – even jumping out of her chair to sing along to Swift’s song You Belong with Me at one of the singer’s Los Angeles shows last August. 

But Meghan was not given the same treatment as the Waleses and didn’t appear to snap a photo with the star.

The former Suits actress was with her British friend Lucy Fraser, who featured prominently in the Sussexes’ tell-all Netflix series, according to Page Six.

It remained unclear where exactly Meghan might have been in the SoFi Stadium but she did not appear to be in the VIP tent – where Charlize Theron was happily filmed dancing along to some of the songs.

Meanwhile the Kelce brothers latest episode of their New Heights podcast seems to firmly cast Travis and Taylor as ‘team William’. 

‘We met royalty, guys,’ Travis said. ‘There was royalty at the show. I was fortunate enough that I didn’t get caught up in traffic so I got there early and got to meet Prince William. How bout that? Your Royal Highness.

‘Dude, he was the coolest motherf*****,’ he added. ‘He was so cool.’

‘He was awesome,’ Jason echoed his brother’s sentiments. ‘He was a good dude.’

He later added: ‘They were wonderful people, and that’s what it’s about. They’re part of a monarchy [it’s] hard to be a down-to-earth human being – I would assume. But [they] came off that way completely.’ 

A very enthusiastic Travis then launched into the story about how Taylor joined William and Bon Jovi for a singalong at a charity event in 2013.

Travis, who also made headlines this weekend for joining Taylor onstage for a cameo, gushed: ‘Tay got him out of his shell and they ripped it and they said he had a blast. 

‘And I’m just like, I don’t know if any other Prince is doing that, you know what I mean?

‘In terms of royalty, it seems like they like to sit back in the shadows of the show, but he was cool enough to be a part of it. That just shows you how personable he is!’  

The brothers even went on to praise William once more for his parenting, saying meeting Princess Charlotte was the ‘highlight’ of the whole evening. 

‘If anyone’s doing it right, Prince William’s doing it right. Thank you your royal highness,’ praised Travis. 

His comments about William’s clear joy to join the Swifties on the Eras tour will shed light on Prince Harry and Meghan’s comparatively miserable appearance at a Beyoncé concert last September. 

Meghan was spotted dancing the night away at the Cowboy Carter singer’s Renaissance tour in California – but Prince Harry appeared less than impressed as he gazed at his phone while the party continued around him.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among thousands of fans who crowded into the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.

But Harry appeared glum and disinterested as the pair were spotted in a private box along with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland and Meghan’s Suits co-star and close friend Abigail Spencer. The members of their group, including the Sussexes, wore silver to match the singer’s request that her fans wear the colour to her show.

Meghan was seen clapping and waving her arms, while Doria, who was celebrating her birthday at the time, was seen dancing along to the music.

Harry however was seen with his hands firmly stuck in his pockets or glued to his phone. 

Unlike his older brother, who has received joking criticism over the years for his dad dancing, he showed a reluctance to get involved. 

Last year Taylor reportedly declined an invitation from Meghan Markle to appear on her podcast, Archetypes.   

Historically, Taylor has opted out of making political statements and taking sides, so her appearance alongside the royals may come as a surprise. 

Taylor finally broke her years-long silence to slam Republican senatorial candidate Marsha Blackburn in the midterm election in her home state of Tennessee in November 2018.

In her Netflix documentary, Taylor Swift: Miss Americana, the singer was seen getting into a heated spat with her father Scott before she published a statement against Blackburn. He had warned her that speaking out would put her life in danger. 

She then got emotional, admitting she regretted not speaking out against Trump two years earlier. 

‘…but I can’t change that… I need to be on the right side of history. … Dad, I need you to forgive me for doing it, because I’m doing it,’ she said. 

Taylor for many years faced criticism for her restraint on political statements. 

To this day, the star holds back from stark politics talk and focuses on issues which she will have had personal experience with.

The hitmaker – who famously sang that she ‘loves the English’ – has also been pals with number of famous faces that regularly mingle with The Firm, including Katy Perry and Cara Delevingne. 

Taylor resolved her feud with Katy Perry in 2019, who famously performed at King Charles’s Coronation concert and even got to stay in Windsor Castle. 

Meanwhile Cara, who also appeared at the Eras tour concert on Friday, is known to be pals with Princess Eugenie and her maternal grandmother was a lady-in-waiting for Princess Margaret. 

William and Taylor go back many years, and the Prince of Wales has long made it known he is a fan of her music.  

In November 2013, William joined the US popstar on stage at a fundraising gala for an impromptu performance with Jon Bon Jovi.

In 2021, William admitted that he obeyed ‘like a puppy’ when glamorous pop star Swift ordered him on stage for an 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 prince 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. 

‘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 added. ‘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. 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?”

‘But the Centrepoint young guys and girls were there, all loving it and cheering away. So I thought, “Well, if they’re enjoying it, then the night is for them. So sod it. I can’t be the doofus who’s going to ruin it for everyone.”

‘And so I desperately try and remember some of the words and sing as hard as I can. Beneath my black tie, there was a lot of sweating going on. 

‘I felt like a swan, where I was trying to keep myself composed on the outside, but inside, the little legs are paddling fast.

‘Now, a lot of people might think I’m comfortable on stage. When I do speeches and things like that, I’ve done so many now, they’re not a problem. But I’ve not done singing.’

In an interview with The Mail on Sunday shortly after the event, Swift 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.’