Kate Middleton and Prince William had a secret meeting with Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in the run-up to the couple’s wedding, PEOPLE has confirmed.
The power couples of royalty, pop and sports gathered in London for their private rendezvous. It’s believed to have been the first time Kate, 44, met the singer and Kelce, both 36.
The meeting likely occurred in May around the time that Swift and Kelce were in England. It was then that William, 44, discussed being on the New Heights podcast, which the tight end hosts with his brother Jason Kelce.
During a radio interview that month, Prince William teased that there was a chance he and Kate might be at Swift and Kelce’s wedding at New York’s Madison Square Garden on July 3.
When asked whether he had received an invite, he replied , “no comment,” with a smile, prompting laughter in the studio.
“I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see,” he added, fueling speculation that he and Kate could make a surprise appearance.
PEOPLE revealed on June 30 that the royal couple would not be attending the wedding.
The secret catch-up between Swift, Kelce, William and Kate — which was first reported by The Telegraph. — was hinted at in the surprise New Heights podcast episode that was released just hours before the wedding ceremony.
Travis said, “I got the chance to see you not too long ago and invited you on the show because we were talking a little Aston Villa soccer, some excitement about the World Cup.”
The filming of the podcast took place a few days after England played Croatia on June 17.
Swift and Travis Kelce previously met William and two of his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, when they attended one of Taylor’s Eras Tour nights at Wembley Stadium, London, in June 2024.
READ: Prince William, George And Charlotte Pose For Selfie With Taylor Swift
William has been friends with Swift for more than a decade. In 2013 she performed at a charity evening for the homelessness charity Centrepoint, which he supports. The Prince even joined her on stage alongside fellow guest Jon Bon Jovi to sing the latter’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.’
He spoke about it eight years later on an episode of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series. “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.’ “
“To this day, I still do not know what came over me,” William said.
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