A look at when Taylor Swift got Prince William to sing on stage with her much before viral Eras Tour selfie

Prince William had joined Taylor Swift on stage more than a decade ago
PUBLISHED JUN 26, 2024
Prince William sings 'Livin' on a Prayer' with Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi in 2013 (Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Prince William sings 'Livin' on a Prayer' with Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi in 2013 (Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: Before Taylor Swift went Instagram official with her new beau Travis Kelce in a royal selfie featuring Prince William, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte, she had already had a memorable royal moment.

In 2013, Swift, 34, brought Prince William on stage during a Centrepoint charity event at London's Kensington Palace, joining Jon Bon Jovi for a spontaneous rendition of 'Livin' on a Prayer,' as reported by PEOPLE.

When Taylor Swift, Prince William, and Jon Bon Jovi sang 'Livin' on a Prayer'

Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge sing on stage at the Centrepoint Gala Dinner at Kensington Palace on November 26, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi and Prince William sing on stage at the Centrepoint Gala Dinner at Kensington Palace in London, England (Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

The moment, described as completely "off the cuff" by William’s aides, became a legendary highlight. Years later, Prince William opened up about the experience on a 2021 episode of Apple Fitness+'s 'Time to Walk' series, admitting, “I can't believe I'm actually telling this story.”

William recalled attending the charity fundraising gala for Centrepoint, a charity supporting homeless youth, and being thrilled to see Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift at the event.

“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."

Taylor Swift, Jon Bon Jovi and Prince William, Duke of Cambridge sing on stage at the Centrepoint Gala Dinner at Kensington Palace on November 26, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Taylor Swift, Prince William, and Jon Bon Jovi's iconic 'Livin' on a Prayer' performance was hailed by fans (Dominic Lipinski - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

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.' 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, okay, that seems like a great idea. I'll follow you.'”

Fast forward to this past Friday night, June 21, when Prince William and two of his three children attended Swift’s Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium, coinciding with his 42nd birthday. The prince was spotted dancing along to 'Shake It Off' from his seat, much to the delight of concertgoers.

Following the outing, the Prince and Princess of Wales' official Instagram account shared a photo of Swift snapping a selfie with the three royals, captioned, "Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErasTour."


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Prince and Princess of Wales (@princeandprincessofwales)


 

Swift also shared her own selfie from the evening with boyfriend Travis Kelce, captioned, "Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start 🇬🇧🇺🇸🤝 @princeandprincessofwales.”


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift)


 

Ahead of her stint at Wembley, Swift received a warm welcome to London on June 21 when the royal guard played a rendition of 'Shake It Off' in front of Buckingham Palace.


 
 
 
 
 
View this post on Instagram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by The Royal Family (@theroyalfamily)


 

The royal family shared a video of the performance on social media, writing, "Can’t stop, won’t stop groovin’."

Prince William’s joyfully dances to Taylor Swift's ‘Shake it Off’ at London Eras Tour



 

The Prince of Wales, William was seen dancing to Taylor Swift's hit song 'Shake It Off' in a fan-recorded TikTok footage from the concert. The event, held at Wembley Stadium, marked a special celebration for the prince's birthday.

In the video, William can be seen enjoying himself, dancing in the stands to a track from Swift's 1989 album. Dressed in a blue outfit, it was evident the prince was having a great time as he celebrated his birthday.

Royal reporter Roya Nikkhah shared the occasion on X, tweeting, “Nothing says happy 42nd birthday quite like taking the kids to see a @taylorswift13 #ErasTour gig. Prince William is celebrating his birthday tonight at @wembleystadium with his children.”

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