Travis Kelce wasn’t sure if he was “allowed” to talk about his backstage meeting with Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte last Friday, before his girlfriend Taylor Swift’s concert at Wembley Stadium in London.
But Kelce went ahead anyway and shared details about his exciting royal encounter on the latest episode of his “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end spent most of the segment gushing about William, calling the future king the “coolest mother——.”
Kelce said William was “genuine” and “personable” and praised him for being the kind of parent who encourages his children’s curiosity and confidence about speaking up.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, left, celebrates with girlfriend Taylor Swift after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on Jan. 28, 2024, in Baltimore. (Patrick Smith/Getty Images/TNS)
As the world now knows, via a selfie that Swift posted to social media of her and Kelce with the royals, William brought George, 10, and Charlotte, 9, to her Eras Tour show in London Friday night. Before the performance, he and his two oldest children with Kate Middleton got to say hello to Swift, who was backstage with her NFL player boyfriend and his brother, Jason.
“They were absolutely a delight to meet,” Travis Kelce gushed in the episode, which was recorded over the weekend at a bar in London. “I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bow to them, curtsy, just be an American idiot and shake their hands, like, ‘Sup, dude.’ We wanted to be polite.”
Jason Kelce clarified that they were advised that the meeting wasn’t considered an “official royal event,” so there was no need for bowing. The former Philadelphia Eagles player, however, joked that he felt “emasculated” enough that he put his “beer, like, 10 feet away.”
Travis Kelce quipped, “I’ve never seen you give someone that much respect.”
Jason Kelce said the prince and his children “were wonderful people.” He said, “Obviously they’re part of a monarchy and royal … (it’s) hard to be a down-to-earth human being…” His brother added that they “were very genuine, very cool”
The brothers probably had the highest praise for the children, especially for Charlotte. Jason Kelce said: “Prince William was fantastic, but the highlight was Princess Charlotte. She was so (expletive) adorable.”
“Maybe because I have three girls now, (but) she had a fire to her,” Jason continued. “She was asking questions.”
That’s when Travis Kelce praised William’s parenting, saying, “I love it when parents ask their kids to be vocal. … Let them have a moment, feel comfortable talking to people. If anyone is doing it right, Prince William is doing it right.”
The meeting between the world’s pop princess and members of the British royalty captured global attention over the weekend, in part because it was William’s 42nd birthday, and he was seen enjoying dad duties at a Taylor Swift concert. The heir to the throne also was recorded at the show engaging in some furious “dad dancing” to Swift’s “Shake It Off.”
His wife, the Princess of Wales, presumably stayed home with their youngest son, Louis. She has been undergoing treatment for cancer and has mostly retreated from public appearances over the past six months, although she attended Trooping the Color on June 15.
The royal encounter also provided a milestone for Swift and Kelce’s growing super couple relationship, which began last September. The selfie that Swift shared to X and Instagram — of her and Kelce with William, George and Charlotte — marked the first time that the NFL star had made an appearance in the songstress’ social media, signaling that their relationship is now “Instagram official.”
But from the podcast conversation, it sounds as though the brothers recorded the episode before Sunday night. That’s when Swift brought her boyfriend onstage as a surprise guest for a performance of a skit for her “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” transition.
Dressed in top hat and tails, Travis Kelce played a back-up dancer in the skit, picking up his girlfriend when she pretended to faint and carrying her to a red couch.
With the other dancers, Kelce also fanned Swift off and helped get her ready to perform. He also acted as though he was touching up her makeup and showed her some dance moves to buoy her spirits.
In an Instagram post following Kelce’s surprise appearance, Swift gushed about the crowds of 90,000 people at each of the performances. “Those were some of the loudest crowds I’ve ever heard,” Swift wrote. As for her boyfriend’s contribution to Sunday’s show, Swift wrote, “I’m still cracking up/swooning over @killatrav’s Eras Tour debut. Never going to forget these shows.”
