Prince William is still ‘cringing’ at that time he sang onstage with Taylor Swift

If you’ve been listening to “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” on repeat for the past few weeks, you may have royal company. Prince William might just have Taylor Swift’s 10-minute song on his playlist too, or at least, we suspect he does now that he’s revealed Swift is the real reason he got up on stage to sing with her and Jon Bon Jovi once upon a time.

The performance in question took place in 2013 during a charity event at Kensington Palace. If you’ll recall, William belted out the words to “Livin’ on a Prayer" alongside his more musically inclined guests during a very impromptu moment. Although the event took place nearly a decade ago, the Prince only recently recalled that moment for an episode of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk series.

“I can't believe I'm actually telling this story,” he spills. “I went to a charity fundraising gala for Centrepoint, which is a young homeless charity that I am very fond of and have supported for many years. It's an annual fundraiser, and I turn up, and Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift are at the event, which nearly knocked me off my feet, as well.”

Fair enough so far. The Prince then explains that when he sat down, he was kind of off-duty for the rest of the night. He figured he’d watch a performance, grab some dinner and then potentially knock off. But then Jon Bon Jovi himself started egging the Prince on, pressuring him to come onstage and sing with him—at least for the chorus.

“Little did I think what was going to happen next,” Williams continues. “I'm sat next to Taylor Swift. She's on my left. And after Jon does his first song, there's a pause, and she turns to me. She puts her hand on my arm, looks me in the eye, and says, 'Come on, William. Let's go and sing.'”

Naturally, the Prince did what anyone in his situation would probably do: fall under the charms of one Ms. Swift.

“To this day, I still do not know what came over me. Honestly, even now I'm cringing at what happened next, and I don't understand why I gave in,” he explains. “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, okay, that seems like a great idea. I'll follow you.'”

William recalls how he barely knew the words to the song, but at the end of the day it was all for charity and the crowd seemed to love it, so he went with it.

“Beneath my black tie, there was a lot of sweating going on,” he recalls. “I felt like a swan, where I was trying to keep myself composed on the outside, but inside, the little legs are paddling fast.”

Fast forward to today and William, who is used to speaking in front of people but not singing in front of them, uses the moment as a teachable one. Especially in the era of social media, where he feels everybody “micromanages” themselves and worries about how they come across to others.

“There's so many pressures, but I think making a fool of yourself is okay,” he muses. “It's okay to not take yourself too seriously… So, yeah, go on and have a laugh. And don't go and watch the video of me singing. Or do go and watch it, but just laugh to yourself about how I was feeling.” Has the Prince ever been so relatable in his entire life?

For those wondering about Time to Walk, the fitness series is an audio walking experience featuring personal stories from famous people. According to People, when William heard about the show, he reached out to participate since the mission—promoting better mental health and wellbeing—is in line with his own values. The resulting holiday special is a 38-minute walk through the Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

It drops December 6 on the platform, closing out the second season of the series. Other guests that have participated so far include personalities like Dolly Parton, Camila Cabello, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Kesha, Randall Park and Jane Fonda.

In exchange for William’s participation, Apple reveals it is making donations to three of the Prince’s mental health charities of choice: Crisis Text Line in the US, Shout 85258 in the UK, and Lifeline in Australia. Don’t have Apple Fitness+? The episode also streams for free on Apple Music 1.

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