Prince William needed a win. The British royal has spent the year concerned with his wife’s health struggle and avoiding his estranged brother at the behest of his father. On top of that, he’s not exactly what you would call “beloved” by his populace. Someone ruder than me might say that he’s a charisma void. But Travis Kelce probably doesn’t know about any of that. To the football player, Prince William is just “the coolest motherfucker.”
Kelce met William and two of his kids, George and Charlotte, backstage at the Eras Tour in London this past Friday. On Wednesday, Kelce went into detail about their linkup on his podcast, New Heights. There was, of course, some cultural confusion.
“They were absolutely a delight to meet,” Kelce said. “I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bow to them, curtsy, just be an American idiot and shake their hands, like, ‘Sup, dude.’ We wanted to be polite.”
Kelce’s brother, Jason, was also backstage and knew the protocol a little better. “Because we weren’t at an official royal event, we didn’t need to bow or curtsy,” Jason explained. “I did still address him as ‘Your Royal Highness.’” The former Eagles player joked that meeting the prince was the closest he’s ever been to being emasculated.
“I’ve never seen you give someone that much respect,” Travis said to his brother. “You put your beer ten feet away from you.”
While they were definitely vibing with Prince William, it seems that the real star of the show was Princess Charlotte. “Prince William was fantastic, but the highlight was Princess Charlotte,” Jason said. While he noted that “George was great too,” Jason said Charlotte “was so fucking adorable.” He continued, “Maybe it’s because I have three girls now, but she had a fire to her, she was asking questions, she was the most electric part of it.”
The brothers praised William for encouraging his kids to be engaged and not just stand quietly, and then Travis said something that is rarely heard when discussing the royals: “If anyone’s doing it right, Prince William is doing it right.” Travis doesn’t know this, but that statement will probably buoy the prince through the rest of the year.
