Prince William made a surprising revelation regarding his viral backstage selfie with pop star Taylor Swift and NFL player Travis Kelce at London’s Wembley Stadium, admitting he initially tried to nudge the athlete out of the frame.
The royal family meet-up took place in June 2024 to celebrate the Prince of Wales’s 42nd birthday during the opening night of the singer’s eight-show Eras Tour run. Accompanied by his two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, William posed for a backstage snapshot that quickly became one of the most talked-about images on the internet.
Reflecting on the viral moment over two years later during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show, William explained that he did not appreciate the significance of the photograph at the time.
Backstage at Wembley Stadium
“I hadn’t appreciated the significance,” William admitted on the Friday, October 23 episode of the talk show. “Actually, I was trying to move him out of the photo, but Travis kept coming back in. I couldn’t work out why he kept coming back in. I was trying to move him out so it was just me and Taylor and the children.”
Host Graham Norton pointed out that the snapshot marked the couple’s official debut on social media, prompting the future king to reply, “Apparently.” Swift shared the image on her Instagram account with the caption: “Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start 🇬🇧🇺🇸🤝.”
Although the Prince of Wales attempted to shoo the Chiefs player out of the shot, Kelce later recalled the encounter with enthusiasm. Speaking on an episode of his New Heights podcast co-hosted by his brother Jason Kelce, the athlete praised the royal family members as an “absolute delight” to meet.
Prince William Appears on New Heights Podcast
Since their initial introduction at Wembley Stadium, the royal and the NFL star have formed a cordial relationship. Prince William later made a guest appearance on the New Heights podcast, an episode that aired on July 3, 2026. The broadcast coincided with the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
During their podcast reunion, Kelce reflected on the nervousness of meeting the royals backstage, noting that they had received guidance beforehand. “They said that because we weren’t at, like, an official royal event, we didn’t need to bow or curtsy,” Jason Kelce explained during a prior podcast segment, though he added that he still addressed the prince as “Your Royal Highness.”
William’s candid admission on television highlights the lighthearted dynamic behind a photograph that millions of fans dissected across social media platforms following its release.
