Princess Kate's Taylor Swift Link After William Concert Visit
Taylor Swift (L) photographed during a performance of "The Eras Tour" in Mexico, August 2023. And Princess Kate (R) photographed in London, June 2023. Swift will be honored with a new exhibition trail at the Victoria & Albert Museum of which Kate is Royal Patron.
A London museum of which Princess Kate has been royal patron since 2018 has announced a new exhibition trail dedicated to the career and stage outfits of Taylor Swift.
The princess' husband, Prince William, and the couple's two eldest children—Prince George and Princess Charlotte—were photographed with Swift at a performance of her Eras Tour show last month.
The Victoria & Albert Museum is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, holding over 4.5 million objects in its collection. Its home site is located in the South Kensington area of London, a short walk from William and Kate's official residence at Kensington Palace.
On Monday, the museum said that it will hold a satellite exhibition throughout its South Kensington building. This will feature 16 outfits worn by Swift at various points in her career, titled the "Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail."
The exhibits will also feature instruments, lyrics and awards, with personal loans from Swift's own archive. It will run from July 27 to September 8, and admission is free for all visitors. The exhibition will coincide with Swift's run of five performances of her Eras Tour, which are to be held at Wembley Stadium, London, from August 15 to 20.
It was at the first night of her Eras Tour shows in London on June 21 that Swift had three senior royals in attendance. This was Prince William's 42nd birthday and, after the show, both the official Kensington Palace social-media channels and Swift's accounts posted photos from a special backstage meeting.
William and Kate's accounts released an image of Swift taking a selfie with the prince, George and Charlotte captioned: "Thank you @taylorswift13 for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour."
Swift's post was more personal, featuring her royal selfie with boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, also in frame. "Happy Bday M8!" she wrote to William. "London shows are off to a splendid start."
Princess Kate did not attend as she continues to take time out of the public eye while receiving treatment following a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.
This was not the first time that Swift and William had met. In 2013, the royal and singer both attended a charity gala given at Kensington Palace for the homelessness charity, Centrepoint, of which William is patron.
At one point in the evening, the pair took to the stage with musical guest Jon Bon Jovi and took part in a karaoke moment, singing along to the hit song "Livin' on a Prayer."
The Victoria and Albert Museum has honored a number of celebrities over the years, including David Bowie and Naomi Campbell.
Kate Bailey, the institution's senior curator of theater and performance, praised Swift's creativity and style ahead of the new displays.
"We are delighted to be able to display a range of iconic looks worn by Taylor Swift at the V&A this summer. Each celebrating a chapter in the artist's musical journey," Bailey said, per a news release.
"Taylor Swift's songs like objects tell stories, often drawing from art, history and literature. We hope this theatrical trail across the museum will inspire curious visitors to discover more about the performer, her creativity and V&A objects."
Newsweek approached Kensington Palace via email for comment.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
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