Long-time ‘Swiftie’ Prince William just became ‘dad of the year’, taking his two eldest children (and ‘Swifties’ in training) Prince George and Princess Charlotte to a Taylor Swift concert for his 42nd birthday bash.
The three watched the show at Wembley Stadium, during the first night of the Eras tour stop in London on June 21.
Prince William was even filmed busting a few dance moves.
Fans of the royal family have taken to social media, declaring this type of outing “sounds like something Princess Diana would have done”.
A royal sleuth confirms this point, telling Woman’s Day: “His mum, the late Princess Diana, was never afraid to be silly around young William and Harry. And he’s been invoking her spirit in the way he interacts with the kids.”
Prince Louis and Mum Catherine, Princess of Wales, reportedly missed the birthday outing. Louis, 6, was probably considered a bit too young to be out so late.
And since Kate has been battling cancer, she’s largely stayed out of the public eye. While the Princess delighted the nation by showing up at Trooping the Colour looking as radiant as ever, even she acknowledged that she “wasn’t out of the woods yet.”
‘DAD OF THE YEAR’
That has seen William step up to the plate, giving their children a much-needed distraction from mum’s illness. “Wills is in full memory-making mode and is pulling out all the stops to make sure George, Charlotte and Louis have a summer of fun,” the source says.
“As glorious as it was to have Kate with them at the King’s birthday parade, there’s still some way to go before she’s back to full health. And the children need all the distractions they can get,” the source adds.
“It’s been the darkest winter ever and none of them will ever be the same. So Kate’s urged him to try and recapture some sense of normalcy for George, Charlotte and Louis. Wills is prioritising being a hands-on dad and he’s revelling in every moment.”
Prince William announced earlier in the year he was performing reduced royal duties while Kate was recovering from her cancer treatment, so he could spend more time at home with Kate and the kids.
“Having stepped back from his duties, he’s got the focus and energy to shower on his kids. Whether it be roaring at a football match with George, dad dancing at a Taylor Swift concert or just larking about in the garden or on sand dunes, he’s really loosened up – the kids have reminded him what ‘joy’ is,” says the source.
PRINCE WILLIAM SINGS WITH BON JOVI AND TAYLOR SWIFT
Prince William and Taylor Swift go way back. The two previously connected at a Centrepoint charity event at Kensington Palace in 2013. They even joined Bon Jovi on stage for one of his greatest hits, Livin’ on a Prayer. It’s a move that was considered ‘completely off the cuff’.
Eight years later in 2021, Prince William shared all about the memorable moment on an episode of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series.
“So, around about – it must be nearly 10 years ago now – I can’t believe I’m actually telling this story,” Prince William began. “I went to a charity fundraising gala for Centrepoint, which is a young homeless charity that I am very fond of and have supported for many years. It’s an annual fundraiser, and I turn up, and Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift are at the event, which nearly knocked me off my feet as well.”
“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. “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.'”
“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.'”
Prince William
The candid moment was one to be remembered. Take a look below at more moments from the house party of the century.
HOUSE PARTY OF THE CENTURY IN PHOTOS
It’s a common occurrence for a house party to end with revellers gathered around a microphone belting out Livin’ on a Prayer, but when the party is at Kensington Palace the celebrations are turned up a notch.
Prince William rubbed shoulders with rock royalty hosting stars like rock legend Bon Jovi and singing sweetheart Taylor Swift along with some 600 guests.
But the Prince got into the karaoke favourite, high-fiving his fellow performers as they brought home the final chorus for the amused crowd.
Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi and Prince William belted out a rendition of Livin’ on a Prayer.
Like many before him, William stumbled over some of the words but sang the chorus enthusiastically.
Prince William joked he could help Swift out with “dance moves” or some “back-up vocals” when they met earlier, but didn’t seem prepared for their impromptu performance.
Prince William is believed to have sung the same song at his cousin Zara Phillip’s wedding reception.
The rock legend said he still thought of William as “a young kid” saying he had met his father and grandfather too.
Taylor Swift described Prince William as “very funny” and said she was “very happy”.
Prince William also met Bon Jovi’s wife Dorothea Hurley and their children Jacob, Stephanie and Romeo.
Taylor Swift said it was the first time she had visited Kensington Palace, “or any other palace for that matter”.
Bon Jovi was later presented with an award for his commitment to Centrepoint.
The Prince and pop princess high five as they finish up their karaoke session.
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