Prince William secretly met Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce during their last trip to London, hatching a plan with NFL star Travis to appear on his hit podcast New Heights.
William’s appearance, timed to coincide with the superstar couple’s wedding and July 4 celebrations in America, saw him discuss his World Cup hopes for England, the “good brotherhood” between the UK and United States and the challenge of being a father to daughters.
Doing his bit for the special relationship, the future King joined Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis and his brother Jason, former centre of the Philadelphia Eagles, on a remote recording in mid June, just after England’s win against Croatia.
William, who is Patron of the Football Association, confirmed to the brothers that he will travel to the US if the side progresses to the World Cup final and invited them to join him.
"See you both there for the final," the Prince told them. When Jason pointed out Travis might be in training camp, adding: “We’ll sneak you out for a night,” William said: “Tell me who I need to write to, Travis. We’ll get you out of there.”
The heir to the throne had met Travis and Taylor during their most recent visit to the UK, with Travis telling his guest: “We had to do it big for you Prince William. Yeah, I got the chance to see you not too long ago and invited you on the show because we were talking a little Aston Villa soccer, some excitement about the World Cup.”
© Getty ImagesThe conversation turned to America’s 250th anniversary celebrations, with Jason asking the Prince: “Be honest. Are you surprised we made it?”“There were times. There were times,” said William, before adding: “I'd like to think the UK and the US would be together for those 250 years. It's a good brotherhood.”
Jason then posed the question: “What is the more iconic moment at Wembley Stadium? Travis scoring a touchdown in 2015 against the Lions. Or Travis as a backup dancer to the one and only Taylor Swift?”
“Travis as a backup dancer,” replied the Prince. “Definitely a very proud moment of my life, for sure,” said Travis. “Listen, if he's gonna sign up for a tour, I'll happily make sure that we bring her back to life.”
Describing the first time he met William, backstage at Taylor’s Eras Tour in June 2024, he said: “That was honestly one of the coolest moments ever was meeting you and the little ones, that day. Me and Jason joke about it all the time.
© Getty Images“We were so nervous to meet you guys and the royal family, and. And Jason has this running joke where he didn't know what to do with his beer.”
“Charlotte or Princess Charlotte was still the highlight for me,” said Jason. “I had four daughters as well, so, I mean, she was great.”
© WireImage“Now congratulations,” joked William. “Having four daughters. I don't know how you do that.”
During William’s 20-minute appearance, he was challenged to create a Mount Rushmore of England footballers, opting for Sir David Beckham, Gary Lineker, Harry Kane, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton.
© Ezra Shaw- July 2023: Travis first shows interest in Taylor after her concert at Arrowhead Stadium, attempting to give her a friendship bracelet with his number.
- September 2023: Taylor attends a Chiefs game, sitting with Travis's mom, before leaving with Travis
- October 2023: They’re spotted holding hands at public events, including an SNL afterparty, confirming their relationship.
- November 2023: The couple goes public, with Taylor referencing Travis in her concert lyrics, and he confirms their relationship in an interview.
- January 2024: Taylor and Travis ring in the new year together with a kiss, and he declares his love after the Chiefs’ AFC Championship win.
- February 2024: Taylor supports Travis at the Super Bowl, celebrating his victory with him in a major public moment.
- April 2024: Taylor references Travis in her song lyrics, further solidifying their relationship through music.
- June 2024: Travis makes a surprise appearance onstage with Taylor during her Eras Tour show in London, taking their public connection to the next level.
- August 2025: The couple announce their engagement on 26 August via an Instagram post with the caption: "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married."
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August 2025: Taylor announces her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on Travis's podcast, New Heights, on 13 August. - December 2025: During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Taylor calls Travis the "love of her life".
- July 2026: Ahead of their rumoured Madison Square Garden wedding in New York, the couple announce a joint $26 million donation to 20 charities across the US, including children's hospitals and food banks.
Asked by Travis, “Did you just knight everybody you just said?” William replied: “I try to, yeah.”
Elsewhere, William joked that he had “tried to do a couple of touchdowns, nearly put out my shoulder blade,” attempting to play American football.
© Getty Images"I love American football," he said. “It’s brilliant. And I used to play it on the beach with friends and stuff like that.”Speaking about his own passion for the beautiful game, he said: "Over here, the tribalism of your club team and it's like a second family for a lot of fans really means it plays very important in your emotions.
"And, you know, my weekend goes from being either the best we can in the world when we win… Or frankly, I don't want to see anyone on Monday morning because I'm really down. Yeah. And that lasts for quite a few days. So, you know, you guys get that in other ways. But I think if you can attach that to football as well, then you - or soccer - then you get it."
© CameraSport via Getty ImagesDescribing some of the "rowdy evenings" and chants that football fans enjoy, he added: "They're pretty spicy. They're quite rude to broadcast."
Asked whether King Charles had got him into supporting Aston Villa, William replied, laughing, "Absolutely not. My father hates football. My family haven't got a particularly long history with football. There are a few of us who support teams. My football love came from friends taking me to my first match and at school growing up. You can't. You can't avoid the football chat. It's everywhere. Yeah. And some school friends or childhood friends of mine took me to my first game."
