Taylor Swift’s reunion with Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte last weekend certainly impressed the pop superstar’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
The football player succinctly described our future king as “the coolest son of a bitch”, adding that George, ten, and Charlotte, nine, were “an absolute delight”.
But Harry and Meghan might be less impressed by the encounter, which took place at Wembley Stadium during the singer’s popular Eras Tour.
Taylor Swift takes a selfie with Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte during her Eras Tour concert at Wembley
Taylor Swift with her boyfriend Travis Kelce and Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s cheerleaders have since claimed that, by attending such a high-profile concert, William was simply copying the California-based couple, who in turn became friends with another American pop singer, Beyoncé. .
Calling the meeting with Swift a “carefully orchestrated PR move”, one prominent American commentator with 1.3 million TikTok followers said: “I just want everyone to say, ‘Thank you, Meghan,’ for being the first member of the British royal family to really break from their historical formula when it comes to being photographed with celebrities and, of course, being dragged over the coals for it.”
However, royal insiders tell me the truth couldn’t be more different.
“Taylor Swift was really looking forward to meeting the Prince of Wales while she was in London,” a source tells me. “They already know each other, so the meeting made sense.”
Swift performed at Kensington Palace, the London home of William and Catherine, in 2013. During that performance, part of a fundraising concert for homeless charity Centrepoint, William memorably joined Swift and the star of rock Jon Bon Jovi on stage.
There’s also something else worth remembering: The royal source is too diplomatic to point out but, at Wembley, Taylor Swift was courting the Royal Family. In the case of Harry and Meghan, they They are the ones that pay homage to showbiz royalty.
There was a vivid example of this in 2019 when, still part of The Firm, the pair attended the London premiere of The Lion King.
Harry and his American wife, a former actress of course, were seen on camera speaking to some of Hollywood’s most influential figures. Video footage showed the Duke praising Meghan’s vocal skills to the film’s director, Jon Favreau, while Beyonce and her husband, rapper Jay-Z, looked on.
Beyoncé met Prince Harry and Meghan at the premiere of The Lion King in 2019
During the exchange, Beyoncé was seen covering her face and then, seemingly uncomfortable, looking away. Social media users mocked the moment and suggested the singer was embarrassed.
In the clip, Harry told Favreau, “If anyone needs extra voice work…” before Meghan interrupted and joked, “That’s really the reason we’re here — it’s the tone!”
At the same event, Harry also touted Meghan’s talents to Disney CEO Bob Iger, in a move that appeared to surprise his wife, former TV host Willow Bay.
During the conversation, Harry asked: ‘Do you know she does voiceovers?’
Iger was heard responding: “Oh, I didn’t know that.”
Harry then replied, “You seem surprised.” She’s really interested. The Disney boss then said: “We’d love to try it.” It’s a great idea.’
Prince Harry pitches Meghan to Bob Iger for Disney voiceover job during The Lion King premiere
The exchange came months before the company hired Meghan to work on a Disney project in exchange for a donation to Elephants Without Borders, a wildlife research and conservation charity.
This meeting at the premiere of The Lion King was not the first time that the royal couple appeared to court stars and key figures in the entertainment world.
At their wedding in Windsor in 2018, some of Harry’s old friends were surprised to see famous actors and TV personalities among the guests – people who didn’t know they had met the Prince.
At the ceremony, Princess Diana’s former housemate Carolyn Bartholomew is said to have turned to Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife Amal, who were sitting next to her, and asked them how they knew Harry or Meghan .
“We don’t,” the Clooneys allegedly responded, according to Boris Johnson’s journalist sister Rachel.
Amal and George Clooney arrive at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle ahead of Prince Harry’s wedding to Meghan in 2018
In 2022, I revealed in my Daily Mail social diary, Eden Confidential, that Spider-Man stars Tom Holland and Zendaya were baffled to have been contacted by Harry and Meghan out of the blue and asked if they could meet.
“Tom had never met Harry or spoken to him in his life, so he didn’t know what they wanted,” a source told me at the time.
The actors met the Sussexes, although it was notable that neither later appeared on their Spotify podcast series, Archetypes.
Another figure conspicuous by her absence from Meghan’s series was Taylor Swift. The Duchess reportedly sent her a handwritten note asking the singer to appear on Archetypes.
You could say there was a quick rejection.
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