Prince William Celebrates Birthday with His Children at Taylor Swift’s London Concert sparks controversy among NFL fans
In case you didn’t know, Prince William is a Swiftie.
As part of the Duke of Cambridge’s upcoming episode of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series, the prince recalled some of his fondest musical memories, including the one time he hit the stage with Taylor Swift. It’s times like these that royal life sounds so appealing, right?
The year is 2013 and Prince William is attending a charity fundraising gala for Centerpoint with Swift and Jon Bon Jovi. “I can’t believe I’m telling this story,” he began, which means you know it’s going to be a good one.
“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, per People.
“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.’”
Prince William says he still doesn’t know what came over him on that night. “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 said. “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.”
Unfortunately, that’s when the prince realized he forgot the words. “But the Centrepoint young guys and girls were there all loving it and cheering away,” he remembered. “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.’”
Still, the prince was internally screaming—as anybody would. He continued, “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.”
Prince William also shared a fond memory about singing in the car with his mom, Princess Diana, who was particularly fond of the Tina Turner song “The Best.”
“When I was younger, Harry and I, we were at boarding school. And my mother used to play all sorts of songs to kind of while away the anxiety of going back to school,” he shared, per People. “And one of the songs I massively remember and has stuck with me all this time, and I still, to this day, still quite enjoy secretly, is Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’ because sitting in the backseat, singing away, it felt like a real family moment. And my mother, she’d be driving along, singing at the top of her voice. And we’d even get the policeman in the car, he’d be occasionally singing along as well.”
He added, “When I listen to it now, it takes me back to those car rides and brings back lots of memories of my mother.”