Prince William attends Taylor Swift’s Eras London show with kids on his 42nd birthday
“London Boy” has arrived.
Prince William celebrated his 42nd birthday by attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour show at Wembley Stadium in London on Friday — and brought along children Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, 9.
Per photos that Kensington Palace and Swift both shared on Saturday, Prince Louis, 6, was not there.
“Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour,” the Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram account captioned a photo of Swift taking a selfie with the royal and his two children, who were beaming with delight.
Swift’s photo, meanwhile, included boyfriend Travis Kelce too. She wrote: “Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start.”
Hours earlier, the royal guard band played “Shake It Off” in front of Buckingham Palace to welcome the musician, 34, into town. Her NFL Kansas City Chiefs boyfriend Kelce, his brother Jason Kelce and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce also traveled across the pond to support her.
Swift has three shows in London on June 21 to 23. After Sunday, she’ll take a break before heading to the Johan Cruijff Arena in Amsterdam, NL, on July 4.
Prince William’s estranged sister-in-law Meghan Markle, meanwhile, attended Swift’s August 2023 tour stop in Los Angeles.
The future king has met the “Maroon” singer before. In 2013, he, Swift and Jon Bon Jovi performed a rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer” during a Centrepoint charity event at Kensington Palace.
“So, around about — it must be nearly 10 years ago now — I can’t believe I’m actually telling this story,” Prince William said on an episode of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series in 2021. “I went to a charity fundraising gala for Centrepoint, which is a young homeless charity that I am very fond of and have supported for many years. It’s an annual fundraiser, and I turn up, and Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift are at the event, which nearly knocked me off my feet as well.”
“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.’ Little did I think what was going to happen next,” he continued. “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.’ “
He joked that he still doesn’t know what “came over” him in the moment to oblige.
“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, okay, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you,'” he gushed.
Prince William’s family outing Friday comes nearly a week since they attended the Trooping the Colour festivities in honor of King Charles’ birthday on June 15. The festivities marked the first time Kate Middleton made a public appearance since announcing her cancer diagnosis.
She joined the rest of the royal family and stood next to the monarch on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the traditional military flyover. Last year, Prince William was the one to stand next to his father.
Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams told the Sun that the positioning was perhaps a “gesture of solidarity and support,” as King Charles is battling his own cancer.
“Let’s be frank. It would have been very stressful to go through with all of the ceremony,” he said. “King Charles and the Princess of Wales knew very well every movement would be photographed that was public.”
Expert Judi James added: “Kate’s body language here showed the world what being a royal is all about: elegant, calm and stoic with not one smallest jot of self-pity or drama. Kate’s non-verbal messages seem to signal a smiling determination to reassure the public and her own children and to get on with the job.”
The Princess of Wales stunned as she wore a white Jenny Packham dress with a black-striped belt decorated with a black-and-white bow for the occasion.
One day earlier, she announced she would be attending the event.
“I am making good progress, but as anyone going through chemotherapy will know, there are
good days and bad days,” the 42-year-old said in a statement. “On those bad days you feel weak, tired and you have to give in to your body resting. But on the good days, when you feel stronger, you want to make the most of feeling well.”
“I’m looking forward to attending the King’s Birthday Parade this weekend with my family
and hope to join a few public engagements over the summer, but equally knowing I am not
out of the woods yet,” she went on. “I am learning how to be patient, especially with uncertainty. Taking each day as it comes, listening to my body, and allowing myself to take this much-needed time to heal.”
