Prince William made a surprise appearance on the Kelce brothers’ New Heights podcast on Friday, revealing that his dad, King Charles, “hates football” — even as Prince William himself is a lifelong Aston Villa fan.
The full episode dropped on the very day Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift tied the knot at Madison Square Garden, and William was given an introduction fit for a royal, with Jason Kelce excitedly describing him as “a 6-foot-3 prince from London, England,” before addressing him by several of his titles.
While the Kelces welcomed William onto their podcast, People reported Saturday that the Prince of Wales and Princess Kate had secretly met with Swift and Kelce ahead of the wedding.
Listing his various roles, Jason said: “That’s right, the president of the English Football Association, the vice-royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Cornwall, the Lord of the Isles, Prince and Great Steward of Scotland, Earl of Chester and the Prince of Wales … please welcome His Royal Highness, Prince William.”
Laughing in response, William said: “That was quite an intro, guys, amazing!”
“We had to do it big for you, had to do it big,” replied Jason.
Asked by the Kelces whether his dad had gotten him into Aston Villa, William didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “My father hates football.”
William, who has been president and now patron of the English Football Association since 2010, said his own football love came from friends. “My family haven’t got a particularly long history with football,” he said. “My football love came from friends taking me to my first match.”
That first match, William recalled, was Aston Villa vs. Bolton in 2000.
On England’s chances at the World Cup, William said he was “quietly confident” in the squad under manager Thomas Tuchel and confirmed he’d fly across the pond if they reached the final: “If we’re in the finals, we’ll definitely be there.”
Asked which was more iconic at Wembley Stadium — Travis’s 2015 touchdown against the Lions or his backup dancer moment with Taylor Swift — William picked the Swift moment. Travis called meeting the royal family “one of the coolest moments ever,” and William said Princess Charlotte “was the highlight for me.”
Taylor and Travis’s nuptials are the closest Americans will get to a royal wedding for some time — so what better way to add a bit of regal sparkle to the day?
William and Swift once met at a 2013 Centrepoint U.K. youth homelessness charity gala at Kensington Palace, where they performed a surprise rendition of “Livin’ on a Prayer” on stage with Jon Bon Jovi.
More recently, in 2024, William was spotted attending Swift’s Eras Tour in London with his children Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Swift posted a selfie of the royal family meeting her and Travis alongside the caption “Happy Bday M8,” in honor of William’s birthday the previous day.
Travis later discussed the meeting with his brother, Jason, on an episode of the brothers’ podcast: “They were an absolute delight to me. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bow to them or curtsy, or just be an American idiot and shake their hand.”
They were particularly impressed with Charlotte, whom Travis called “a superstar.” Jason chimed in, admitting that since he has daughters, he might be biased, adding: “She had fire to her, she was asking questions. That was the most electric part of it.”
In May this year, William revealed that the Love Story singer was Charlotte’s favorite artist. Speaking on a live broadcast for Heart Radio, William said: “Charlotte, my daughter, and Louis, to be fair, but Charlotte particularly, is obsessed by Taylor Swift.”
Asked if he’d be attending Swift and Kelce’s star-studded wedding, he laughed, telling the broadcaster “No comment.” He then added: “That feels like a showbiz excuse, but it’s not. I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see.”
People reported that William did not attend the wedding, but the outlet noted Saturday that he and Kate had secretly met with the couple beforehand.
While soccer is his preferred sport (he’s a big Aston Villa fan), William is no stranger to the NFL.
In 2024, he appeared at an NFL Foundation UK flag-football event in London, where he took part in drills, threw passes and spoke with NFL-linked figures including the Welsh former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit. The player gifted the prince a real Jacksonville Jaguars jersey with “HRH” emblazoned on the back.
At the event, Prince William was presented with a football and said he would take it home to play with his children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
“Never go home empty-handed! That’s a crucial motto of being a parent,” he said. “We’ll do some practice together — let’s see how many windows I can smash.”
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