Sometimes a photo says more about the beginning of a relationship than any official statement. Prince William admitted that in June 2024 he tried to push Travis Kelce out of a selfie with Taylor Swift, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
William revealed the incident during his surprise appearance on The Graham Norton Show. The photo was taken backstage at Swift's Wembley Stadium in London. The singer is in the foreground, with William, George and Charlotte next to her. Kelsey is further back, but also in the photo.
“I was trying to move it so it was just me, Taylor and the kids,“ said Prince William.
According to him, the American footballer kept coming back into the frame and it puzzled him. Prince William added that at the time he did not understand the significance of the photo for the relationship between the future newlyweds.
“I did not realize the significance“, said the Prince of Wales, after host Graham Norton reminded him that this was the first photo Taylor Swift had publicly shown Kelsey on her Instagram. The singer posted the photo on the occasion of William's birthday, who turned 42 at the time.
The publication attracted attention not only because of the presence of the British royal family. It turned out to be the first photo of Travis Kelsey shared by Taylor Swift on Instagram. On the night of the concert, William was also photographed dancing to her hit “Shake It Off“ with her children.
A separate photo was later released, without Kelsey in the picture, showing Swift, William, George and Charlotte looking at the camera and laughing. Travis Kelce, however, remains in the group photo, which became one of the early public moments of his relationship with the singer.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce later got engaged in August 2025, and in July 2026 they married at “Madison Square Garden“ in New York City. That same year, William and Kelce reminisced about their meeting again, this time on the “New Heights“ podcast, hosted by Travis and his brother Jason.
“That was one of the most memorable moments for me – meeting you and the kids,” Travis Kelce told William on the podcast. Thus, the prince's joking attempt to remove him from the frame was unsuccessful, but it was his presence that made the photo an important part of the couple's story.