Prince William is sharing the details about his night with a high-profile celeb: Taylor Swift. In 2013, the two attended a charity gala for Centrepoint at Kensington Palace. During the festivities, Swift convinced the prince to join her and Jon Bon Jovi onstage for an impromptu rendition of “Livin’ On A Prayer.”
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At the time, the prince’s aides described it as “completely off the cuff.” Now, William himself is opening up about how Swift got him onstage in a special Christmas episode of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series.
Prince William’s Impromptu Jam Session
“So, around about – it must be nearly 10 years ago now – I can’t believe I’m actually telling this story,” the prince shared. “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.”
He continued, “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.”
“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,’” William said.
Prince William: ‘I’m Cringing At What Happened Next’
“To this day, I still do not know what came over me,” William laughed. “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.’”
“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,” he said. “And I’m thinking to myself, ‘Am I standing on the stage singing ‘Livin’ On a Prayer’ when I don’t even know the words?’”
Even though the prince has lots of experience being in front of a crowd, he still found it intimidating to be singing onstage, telling listeners, “Beneath my black tie, there was a lot of sweating going on.” He tried his best, though, putting on a good show for the audience.
Even though he might cringe when remembering that night, William also talked about how important it is to get out of your comfort zone and not take yourself too seriously.
“It’s okay to not take yourself too seriously and have those moments where you let go and you just go, ‘Do you know what? I’m okay with this,’” he told listeners. “So, yeah, go on and have a laugh. And don’t go and watch the video of me singing. Or do go and watch it, but just laugh to yourself about how I was feeling.”
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