Princess Kate’s connection to Taylor Swift after attending William’s concert

A London museum, of which Princess Kate has been royal patron since 2018, has announced a new exhibition trail dedicated to Taylor Swift’s career and stage outfits.

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 and has a collection of over 4.5 million objects. The museum is located in London’s South Kensington, just a short walk from William and Kate’s official residence at Kensington Palace.

On Monday, the museum announced it would host a satellite exhibition at its South Kensington building featuring 16 outfits worn by Swift at different points in her career, titled “Taylor Swift | Songbook Trail.”

The exhibitions also feature instruments, song lyrics and awards, as well as personal loans from Swift’s own archive. They run from July 27 to September 8 and admission is free for all visitors. The exhibition coincides with Swift’s five performances as part of her Eras Tour, which take place from August 15 to 20 at London’s Wembley Stadium.

The first night of her Eras Tour shows in London on June 21 featured three senior royals. It was Prince William’s 42nd birthday and after the show, both Kensington Palace’s official social media channels and Swift’s accounts posted photos of a special backstage gathering.

A photo of Swift taking a selfie with the prince was posted on William and Kate’s accounts. George and Charlotte wrote: “Thank you @taylorswift13 for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour.”

Swift’s post was more personal, featuring her regal selfie with her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was also in the picture. “Happy birthday M8!” she wrote to William. “The shows in London are off to a great start.”

Princess Kate did not attend as she continues to retreat from the public eye while undergoing treatment following a cancer diagnosis earlier this year.

This was not the first time Swift and William met. In 2013, the royal and the singer attended a charity gala at Kensington Palace together, which was held for the homeless charity Centrepoint, of which William is a patron.

At some point in the evening, the two took the stage with musical guest Jon Bon Jovi and took part in a karaoke show in which they sang along to the hit “Livin’ on a Prayer”.

The Victoria and Albert Museum has honoured a number of celebrities over the years, including David Bowie and Naomi Campbell.

Kate Bailey, the institution’s senior curator of theatre and drama, praised Swift’s creativity and style ahead of the new exhibitions.

“We are delighted to present a series of iconic looks worn by Taylor Swift at the V&A this summer, each celebrating a chapter of the artist’s musical journey,” Bailey said, according to a press release.

“Taylor Swift’s songs, like objects, tell stories, often drawing on art, history and literature. We hope this theatrical tour of the museum will inspire curious visitors to learn more about the artist, her creativity and the V&A’s objects.”

Newsweek has emailed Kensington Palace for comment.

James Crawford-Smith is NewsweekThe 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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