Friendship bracelets are back in style – just ask Generation Alpha kings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Even the King, although admittedly more traditional than radical, has been seen wearing one.
Woven headbands date back millennia (thought to have been invented by Native Americans in the 1880s), but first became popular in the 1970s when hippies made and wore them, giving them away as tokens of friendship.
In 2024, they’ll be back in fashion, and it’s largely thanks to Taylor Swift, whose fans have long shared beaded versions of them, often with quotes from her lyrics.
On Taylor’s London dates in June, the pop icon’s boyfriend Travis Kelce was spotted exchanging a friendship bracelet with a Swiftie, and was seen wearing them on his wrists at the end of her concerts.
Taylor Swift fans are known to love friendship bracelets, and Prince George and Princess Charlotte, pictured with the global pop star, and the Prince of Wales, at her London concerts in June, are big fans of the singer.
Kensington Palace shared this portrait of Prince George, taken by his mother Kate, to celebrate his 11th birthday, and on his left wrist the certified Swiftie was wearing a friendship bracelet.
King Charles, 75, has been seen wearing what appears to be a ‘friendship bracelet’ during recent engagements, including today for his visit to Guernsey with Queen Camilla, pictured left. The bracelet, made from yellow and red thread, appears to be similar to versions worn by Her Majesty’s nine-year-old granddaughter Princess Charlotte when she attended the Wimbledon final at the weekend, pictured right.
It is unclear whether the King’s new piece of jewelry (pictured) is a gift from his granddaughter.
Charlotte wore two of the thread bracelets, one with various shades of pink and another with green, blue and pink fabric.
And the three-time Superbowl winner even admitted he once put his number on a beaded band to get Taylor’s attention before the pair started dating last year.
Since meeting the star at his London concert, the young royals have been getting in on the summer trend, with George’s 11th birthday portrait, taken by the Princess of Wales, showing the Prince, a certified Swiftie, dressed in a smart suit and a woven bracelet on his left wrist.
It’s not the first time George has been seen wearing it either, with the young royal wearing it again with a smart suit when he attended the UEFA Euro 2024 final between Spain and England two weeks ago.
King Charles, 75, has also been seen wearing what appears to be a “friendship bracelet” during recent engagements, including last week during his visit to Guernsey with Queen Camilla.
Both George and Charlotte have worn the bands (not exactly the same as the beaded ones the Swifties are wearing) to major sporting events this summer: Princess Charlotte sported one at the men’s singles match at Wimbledon and the young Prince wore one during a match at the European Championships.
When Princess Charlotte attended the Wimbledon men’s final, she also wore bracelets that looked very similar to the one Prince George was wearing in his birthday portrait.
A gift from the grandchildren? During his trip to the Channel Islands last week, King Charles was also seen wearing a handmade bracelet on his right wrist (pictured left)
Made up of yellow and red thread, the sash appears to be similar to the versions worn by Her Majesty’s nine-year-old granddaughter Princess Charlotte when she attended the Wimbledon final last weekend with her mother, the Princess of Wales.
Dressed in a navy polka dot dress, Charlotte wore two of the string bracelets, one with various shades of pink and another with green, blue and pink fabric.
Friendship bracelets have seen a resurgence in popularity over the summer due to the success of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
However, the real-life accounts are not believed to be the same as those made by fans who attended Taylor’s concerts, despite George and Charlotte attending her Wembley show last month.
The bracelets the Swifties exchange tend to feature letter beads that spell out our lyrics and song names, while Charlotte, George, and Charles’ accessories are made from solid-colored thread.
Swift, who will return to London to perform in August, has revived the friendship bracelet trend in recent years.
At Taylor’s June concerts, Travis and Jason Kelce were spotted exchanging friendship bracelets with a Taylor Swift fan at the singer’s sold-out concert in London.
Yesterday, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a new portrait of Prince George to mark their 11th birthday.
The black and white photo, taken by keen photographer Kate, 42, shows the future King smiling for the camera.
The young royal, the eldest son of the Prince and Princess of Wales, was born George Alexander Louis on 22 July 2013, in the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington, London.
Posting the snap on their social media accounts, the Waleses said: “Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!”
They confirmed that the snapshot had been taken by Kate sometime this year.
The Princess of Wales has long been a keen photographer and is often the person behind the camera when her children’s birthday portraits are taken.