Prince William took his children to old friend Taylor Swift’s sell-out London gig last night as he celebrated his 42nd birthday – along with fellow royals Zara and Mike Tindall, plus Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria.
Taylor kicked off the London leg of her record-breaking Eras Tour at Wembley Stadium, performing to fans, celebrities and politicians alike – as well as her American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce.
The Prince of Wales was among the 90,000-strong crowd in London for the hottest ticket in town – celebrating his 42nd birthday dancing the night away with his three young children Prince George, 10, nine-year-old Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, six.
Prince William and megastar Swift have long known each other – the pair shared the stage at Kensington Palace to perform Livin’ On A Prayer with Jon Bon Jovi at a charity event in 2013.
Last night’s show came after the military band at Buckingham Palace earlier in the day performed a rendition of Swift’s 2014 hit Shake It Off to mark the Eras Tour arriving in the UK capital for three nights this weekend ahead of another five in August.
Also among those thronging to last night’s Wembley Stadium show were Taylor’s supermodel-turned-actress friend Cara Delevingne. Ms Swift, 34, and her boyfriend were reuniting with her boyfriend Travis Kelce after a month apart, as he flew in from Cannes with his older brother Jason.
The couple, who are nearing their first anniversary, have not been seen together for over a month after they last enjoyed a romantic lunch on Lake Como, Italy, in May.
The Kansas City Chiefs star had so far been unable to support his girlfriend on the UK leg of her tour due to training commitments.
Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, 34, was among the celebrity-studded audience who joined Kelce in the VIP area alongside Delevingne.
American hairstylist Jonathan van Ness, more commonly known as JVN, posted videos of the glitzy night featuring actress Salma Hayek.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that he was taking a ‘Swift campaign pitstop’ – a break ahead of the July 4 general election – to enjoy the concert with his wife.
William previously said of his duet with Taylor at the 2013 charity event for Centrepoint that he obeyed ‘like a puppy’ her demand he join her on-stage.
He recalled in a 2021 interview: ‘I can’t believe I’m actually telling you this story – I turn up and Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift are at the event, which nearly knocked me off my feet.
And then, I went inside, met everybody, a lot of handshaking to do those nights, a lot of chatting. I try and be charming and interactive.
‘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. 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, OK, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you.”
‘I walked up on stage in a trance and then sort of halfway through Jon Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer song, I wake up.’
Ms Swift was clearly overwhelmed by the 89,000-strong crowd in the capital last night and said: ‘Oh my God, London, look what you’ve done. What better way to spend a Friday night than in the most exhilarating city in the world?’
Her first show in London was always going to be special for her as she shares a close affiliation with the capital after she called it her second home for the six years she was dating British actor Joe Alwyn.
Ms Swift has also dated several other British heartthrobs including singer Harry Styles and actor Tom Hiddleston.
Friday night’s concert was the first of three sold-out dates at Wembley, with the international sensation returning in August to perform another five.
