People magazine got a Friday surprise when Prince William turned up on the Kelce brothers' New Heights podcast and said King Charles “hates football.” The appearance landed on the day Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are believed to be tying the knot, which gave the episode an unusually sharp pop-culture edge.
Jason Kelce opened with a heavy introduction, calling him “a 6-foot-3 prince from London, England,” before William replied, “That was quite an intro, guys, amazing!” He also made clear that his route into Aston Villa was not inherited from home.
William and Aston Villa
“Absolutely not,” William said when asked whether his father had gotten him into Aston Villa. “My father hates football.” He added, “My family haven't got a particularly long history with football,” then explained, “My football love came from friends taking me to my first match.”
That first match was Aston Villa vs. Bolton in 2000, a detail that places his fandom in a specific, ordinary origin story rather than royal tradition. It also fits the public role he has held since 2010, when he became president and now patron of the English Football Association, giving his casual football allegiance a formal institutional backdrop.
New Heights on Friday
Friday’s episode put a senior royal inside a sports-and-entertainment format built around conversation, not ceremony. William is not just a football follower; he is a lifelong Aston Villa fan who can speak as a supporter and as a figure tied to the game’s governing structure.
He also used the same appearance to put an England angle on the World Cup, saying he was “quietly confident” in Thomas Tuchel’s side and adding, “If we're in the finals, we'll definitely be there.” That keeps the interview from reading like a one-note novelty. It gave the hosts a football conversation, a royal anecdote, and a public glimpse of how William talks when the setting is informal.
Kensington Palace links
The podcast visit also carried its own history with Taylor Swift. William and Swift met at a 2013 Centrepoint U.K. youth homelessness charity gala at Kensington Palace, and he attended Swift’s Eras Tour in London with Prince George and Princess Charlotte in 2024.
On the same episode, William chose Taylor Swift's backup dancer moment over Travis Kelce's 2015 touchdown against the Lions as the more iconic Wembley Stadium memory, while Kelce called meeting the royal family “one of the coolest moments ever.” For a show that trades on personality, the larger business point is simple: a royal guest who can bridge football, charity, and Swift-era celebrity gives New Heights a wider audience than a standard sports interview.
The timing is the part that makes the episode read like more than a routine booking. Dropping on the day Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are believed to be marrying turns a friendly crossover into a neatly timed pop-culture event, and William’s football line gives the clip the kind of quote that can travel well beyond the full episode.
