Prince William talks football, fatherhood and Travis Kelce's backup dancing on New Heights podcast hours before Kelce's wedding to Taylor Swift
The Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance on Travis and Jason Kelce's New Heights podcast Friday, sharing stories from meeting Taylor Swift at Wembley to the emotional rollercoaster of being an Aston Villa fan.
A surprise royal guest
The episode of New Heights dropped on Friday, 3 July, just hours before Travis Kelce was set to marry Taylor Swift at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jason Kelce introduced the future king with a booming recitation of his titles.
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.
William laughed and called it an amazing intro. The conversation, recorded a couple of weeks earlier, touched on soccer, American football, and the moment the royals met the Kelces backstage at Wembley.
The Wembley meeting and Princess Charlotte’s highlight
The three first crossed paths in June 2024, when William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte attended the Eras Tour concert at Wembley Stadium. Travis was a surprise backup dancer that night, and Jason recalled his nerves about holding a beer in front of royalty.
Princess Charlotte was still the highlight for me. I have four daughters as well, so she was great.
William congratulated Jason, joking, “Having four daughters, I don't know how you do that.” Jason agreed it was the hardest job.
Football fanaticism and the World Cup
William, president of the English FA, told the hosts that his father, King Charles, “hates football.” He became an Aston Villa supporter after schoolmates took him to a match against Bolton 26 years ago, and his passion grew deepest when the club was relegated.
I think weirdly, I got into football more than ever when we got relegated. I suddenly really enjoyed the battle to get back into the Premiership.
He warned that English fans traveling to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico would face two culture shocks: enormous stadiums and light American beer. William said he would fly over if England reached the final.
Naming a footballing Mount Rushmore
Asked to name England’s greatest players, William listed David Beckham, Gary Lineker, Harry Kane, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Sir Bobby Charlton.
Harry Kane could end up being one of the greatest English strikers we’ve ever seen.
He praised England manager Thomas Tuchel’s attacking style, describing a “if you score four, we’ll score five” mentality.
Wedding no-show
Despite the friendship forged with Swift at Wembley, William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are not expected among the roughly one thousand guests at Madison Square Garden. In May, William deflected a question on Heart Breakfast about receiving an invitation.
No comment. I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see.
The prerecorded podcast aired as guests were already arriving for a rehearsal dinner in New York, turning the episode into a lighthearted pre-wedding gift from the royals.
