Prince William has joked that he tried to move Travis Kelce out of a backstage photograph with Taylor Swift and his children.
During his October 23 appearance on The Graham Norton Show, William admitted he had only recently learned why the resulting selfie had become a significant moment for Swift and Kelce.
He was a surprise guest on an episode focused on his Earthshot Prize, joining Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin to discuss the environmental initiative.
Swift and Kelce have since married. The singer’s publicist confirmed their July 3, 2026, wedding in New York to Reuters.
William Says Kelce Kept Returning to the Frame
Prince William discusses the Taylor Swift selfie on The Graham Norton Show.
“Travis kept coming back in, and I couldn’t work out why he kept coming back in,” William recalled, drawing laughter from the audience.
He explained that he had wanted a picture featuring himself, Swift, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, according to PEOPLE’s account of the interview.
“This is when they went photo official,” Norton told him, as Harper’s Bazaar reported.
“Apparently,” William replied.
Swift and the Royals Shared Different Pictures From Wembley
View this post on Instagram
William took George and Charlotte to the Eras Tour at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 21, 2024, his 42nd birthday. Their backstage meeting with Swift took place before the concert, according to contemporary reporting from The Standard.
Swift posted her selfie the following morning with the caption, “Happy Bday M8!” She added that the London shows were off to a splendid start.
The photograph shows the singer close to the camera, with George and Charlotte in front of the two men. William smiles behind the children, while Kelce leans into the upper-right corner wearing a baseball cap.
It was the first time Kelce had appeared on Swift’s main Instagram feed. Their romance was already public: they had been dating since 2023, and Swift had attended his Kansas City Chiefs games.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ account shared a separate photograph of Swift holding up her phone to take a selfie with William and the children. Kelce was absent from that image. The royal caption thanked Swift for a great evening.
Kelce Later Told William How Nervous He Had Been
Travis initially discussed meeting William on the June 26, 2024, episode of New Heights, the podcast he hosts with his brother Jason. He praised the prince’s friendliness and admitted he had been unsure whether to bow, curtsy or shake hands.
The brothers returned to the subject when William joined their July 3, 2026, episode.
Travis called meeting William and the children “one of the coolest moments ever” and said he and Jason had been nervous about the introduction. Jason singled out Charlotte as the highlight, explaining that he has four daughters himself.
William congratulated him, then joked that he did not know how Jason managed raising four girls.
The conversation also gave William a choice between two of Travis’ Wembley appearances: scoring an NFL touchdown there in 2015 or joining Swift onstage as a dancer.
William chose the dancing. That cameo took place on June 23, 2024, two days after the prince attended the concert.
Swift Had Already Persuaded William to Sing With Bon Jovi
In November 2013, William and Swift attended a Kensington Palace gala for Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity.
Swift encouraged him to join her and Jon Bon Jovi onstage for “Livin’ on a Prayer.” Recalling the evening on Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk in 2021, William said he followed her “like a puppy,” according to TIME.
Once he was onstage, he began wondering what he was doing there, particularly because he could not remember the words.
With the audience cheering, William decided to keep singing. He remembered trying to appear composed while sweating beneath his black tie.