Prince William and Kate Middleton reportedly to skip Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding
LONDON, ENGLAND: Prince William and Kate Middleton will not be among the guests at Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's upcoming wedding, PEOPLE reported on Tuesday, June 30, ending weeks of speculation that the royal couple could make a surprise appearance.
The news comes after Prince William previously joked that he was hoping for an invitation, sparking widespread interest among royal watchers and Swift fans alike. While the royal couple will miss the celebration, their longstanding friendship with the pop icon remains well documented.
Prince William addressed wedding invite speculation in May
Prince and Princess of Wales will not attend the upcoming wedding, putting an end to speculation that intensified following his appearance on 'Heart Breakfast' in May. During the interview, co-host Amanda Holden asked whether he had received an invitation to the couple's wedding.
Smiling, William replied, "No comment," prompting laughter in the studio before adding, "I'm hoping, and I'm sure there might be an invitation around, but we'll see." The Prince of Wales also shared that his children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are devoted Swift fans, with Charlotte being "obsessed."
While speaking during his solo visit to the Isles of Scilly, William requested one of Swift's songs after 'Heart Breakfast' co-host Jamie Theakston asked what he wanted to hear next.
"How about some Taylor Swift?" he suggested before explaining, "Charlotte, my daughter, and Louis, to be fair, but both Charlotte, particularly, is obsessed by Taylor Swift. We went to see her on her Eras Tour and it was amazing."
Recalling the Wembley Stadium concert in June 2024, which he attended with Prince George and Princess Charlotte on his 42nd birthday, he described the experience as unforgettable. "It was at Wembley, so we had a box, so we were watching from up there, which is quite a long way from the actual action's happening, but the atmosphere was so incredible," he said.
He further added, "You could actually feel the floors shaking when they were all dancing, so it was brilliant." Theakston joked that the next song was "for Charlotte, we know she's listening in the car on the school run," before playing Swift's hit 'Opalite' from her 2025 album, 'The Life of a Showgirl.'
Prince William's decade-long bond with Taylor Swift
Prince William's friendship with Swift stretches back more than a decade. The pair first met in 2013 at the Centrepoint Winter Whites Gala at Kensington Palace, where they famously joined singer Jon Bon Jovi onstage for an impromptu performance of 'Livin' on a Prayer.'
Their connection continued in June 2024 when he celebrated his birthday by attending Swift's Eras Tour concert at Wembley Stadium with Prince George and Princess Charlotte. During the show, he was seen dancing to 'Shake It Off.'
Following the concert, Swift shared a backstage selfie featuring Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, while Kelce also posed with the royal family in another photograph that quickly went viral.
Sharing the image online, the 'Lover' singer wrote, "Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start," while tagging Prince William and Kate's account alongside Union Jack, American flag and handshake emojis.
PEOPLE's Senior Royals Editor Erin Hill previously described the anticipated ceremony as America's version of a royal wedding, writing, "It's joy, bottled and broadcast."
"Just like Kate and William brought us unity in 2011, or Meghan and Harry gave us a fresh infusion of fairy tale in 2018, Taylor and Travis could give us the kind of glittering love story that feels big enough to belong to everyone," she added.
