Prince William Cringes Over Singing Onstage With Taylor Swift: “I Still Do Not Know What Came Over Me.”
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Prince William getting onstage to sing with Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi in November 2013 at a Kensington Palace Gala for the charity Centrepoint is a moment that many people will remember. But probably no-one recalls it more clearly than the Prince himself, who has shared his reflections on that night during a guest appearance on Apple’s audio walking experience.
“To this day, I still do not know what came over me. Honestly, even now I'm cringing at what happened next, and I don't understand why I gave in,” the Prince said while recording the episode on the Sandringham Estate in spring this year. “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’.”
Prince William added that he was “in a trance” when he got onstage and sang Jon Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer," saying that he woke up “halfway through” thinking to himself “Am I standing on the stage singing ‘Livin' On a Prayer’ when I don't even know the words?’ ”
William added that he decided he didn’t want be a “doofus” and ruin it for the Centrepoint “young guys and girls” who were enjoying themselves so he stayed onstage despite the fact that he was “sweating” under his black tie outfit. “Now, a lot of people might think that I'm comfortable on stage. When I do speeches and things like that, I've done so many now, they're not a problem,” he said. “But I've not done singing. At times, when you're taken out of your comfort zone, you've got to roll with it.”
William used the encounter to reflect on the fact that sometimes people feel they have to “micromanage” themselves. “We do worry about: how do we look on social media? Who said what about me? What am I wearing? There's so many pressures, but I think making a fool of yourself is okay,” the Prince said.
Apple’s Time to Walk was launched at the start of this year on Apple Watch for Apple Fitness Plus to encourage people to walk more often to benefit their physical and mental health. Each episode features a guest who walks in a location that is meaningful to them and shares important memories, life experiences and lessons learned.
William’s episode will also be available free on radio station Apple Music 1 from Monday December 6.
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