Prince William has made a surprise appearance on the New Heights podcast hosted by Travis Kelce and his brother Jason – with the interview dropping the day Travis is expected to marry pop superstar Taylor Swift
Prince William has pledged to travel to the US to support England if they make the World Cup final and says success in the tournament would mean winning it – but revealed that his father the King ‘hates’ football.
The Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance on the New Heights podcast, hosted by NFL star Travis Kelce, with the episode dropping today – the day he is expected to marry pop superstar, Taylor Swift.
The podcast, which usually sees guests chat about American Football, sees William in discussion with the Kansas City Chiefs star as well as his former NFL player brother Jason about England’s chances in the tournament, what he loves about the beautiful game and the cultural differences between US and UK sports fans.
William is introduced to their listeners as a “six-foot-three prince from London, England”. Jason says: “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.”
During the chat, Jason asks the prince what a successful tournament for England would like for him – with William replying that it would only be lifting the trophy.
In the pre-recorded podcast, Swift’s future brother-in-law asks the prince: “This is the World Cup. Obviously, you guys are coming off of the big game against Croatia. What in your mind is a successful World Cup for England?” And William replies: “I think winning it.” Travis added: “Yeah that’s it. That’s the easiest thing. Got it. He gets it.
“They make it to the final – you’re gonna make the the trip across the pond? And William tells him: “Definitely. If we’re in the final.” Travis says: “Oh, I love it, man” before William says: “Well, maybe. Maybe. See you both there for the final.”
William also adds: “I always felt like we had a really good chance. But as each World Cup goes on and the results don’t quite go your way… A little bit of hope gets chipped away each time. Yeah. And so I’m just, you know, I’m taking it calmly and quietly and like, come on, we’re going to do well and see how we go. But I am quietly confident, I think.”
When asked how the US was doing as a co-host of the World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico, the prince says: “It’s fantastic. I think it’s been a brilliant World Cup. It’s been really well started and I think the tournament’s been well balanced.”
The prince also talks about his love of Aston Villa on the podcast, reliving his memories of watching them through the lows of relegation and the highs of winning last season’s Europa League. And when Jason probes if it was William’s father, the King, who got him into support Villa, he revealed: “Absolutely not. My father hates football.
“My family haven’t got a particularly long history with football. There are a few of us who support teams. My football love came from friends taking me to my first match and at school growing up.
“You can’t avoid the football chat. It’s everywhere.. And some school friends or childhood friends of mine took me to my first game.”
Meanwhile, William jokes with the brothers after they refer to the sport as soccer rather than football, saying: “So first of all, I have to correct you. It’s football.”
He also opens up about his role as patron of the Football Association and said he would do all he can to try and get a World Cup or European Championships hosted in England.
While he also picks his ‘Mount Rushmore’ or favourite players to have worn the famous Three Lions shirt – picking out the likes of David Beckham, Gary Lineker, Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and the late Sir Bobby Charlton.
Although William joins the podcast via video call, he had previously met the Kelce brothers when he took Prince George and Princess Charlotte to a Taylor Swift concert at Wembley in 2024.
Travis tells the prince: “We were so nervous to meet you guys and the royal family, and Jason has this running joke where he didn’t know what to do with his beer.
Jason adds: Yeah, it wasn’t a joke. It was real. Well, you want to be respectful and know what the protocols of course. No, it was awesome. And you were fantastic. Uh, the kids were great. Charlotte or Princess Charlotte was still the highlight for me. I had four daughters as well, so, I mean, she was great.
And William told him: “Now, congratulations. Having four daughters. I don’t know how you do that.”
The podcast has dropped the same day that Travis is poised to marry Swift inside Madison Square Garden, which has been the epicentre of extensive and lavish preparations over the last few days. They have reportedly invited 1,000 guests to the Friday evening do.
During an appearance on Heart Radio’s breakfast show in May, the future king joked about receiving an invitation to the highly anticipated summer wedding by at first saying “no comment” and laughing when he was asked.
William added: “That feels like a showbiz excuse but it’s not. I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see.”
