The Reason Prince William Is Still Cringing Over Taylor Swift

Throughout the course of their public appearances, the royals rub shoulders with a variety of A-listers, but even an upbringing bathed in the spotlight doesn't create an immunity to the occasional case of cringe. Case in point, Prince William recently reflected on an interaction with none other than Taylor Swift that still gives him flashbacks.

As a part of a collaboration with Apple Fitness+ and its "Time To Walk" audio series, Prince William looked back on a 2013 fundraising gala he attended and an on-stage experience that he would maybe rather forget. After arriving at the event, "doing a lot of handshaking," and trying to be "charming and interactive;" he was shocked to see Swift and Jon Bon Jovi in the crowd, CNN reported. But once the show began, he said he thought, "That's it. My job is done. I'll get a dinner in a minute, and I might be able to have a chat to some people..." Unfortunately for him, that's not quite how the night went. 

Seated next to Swift, he felt her pat him on the arm during a pause in the song and tell him to join her on stage. He did as he was told, and compared himself to a puppy in the episode, per Daily Mail. "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, OK, that seems like a great idea. I'll follow you.'" 

And so, Prince William followed Taylor Swift on stage "in a trance," and "woke up" during Jon Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer." What's more, William didn't even know the words to the song, but the crowd was having a blast and he decided to go with it. "So I thought, 'Well, if they're enjoying it, then the night is for them. So sod it. I can't be the doofus who's going to ruin it for everyone.'" He did his best to remember some of the words and give the performance of his life. "Beneath my black tie, there was a lot of sweating going on. I felt like a swan, where I was trying to keep myself composed on the outside, but inside, the little legs are paddling fast," he recalled, per People. 

Despite his reputation for being comfortable on stage, William said that singing in front of a crowd was a completely different beast. However, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. In a world that pressures us to "micromanage ourselves" and "worry about" things like how we appear on social media, it's "OK" to make a fool of yourself. "It's OK to not take yourself too seriously and have those moments where you let go and you just go, 'Do you know what? I'm OK with this,'" he said. 

As cringey as his memory of the night may be, William seems to have taken quite a regal approach to processing it.