Prince Harry set to come face-to-face with Taylor Swift’s NFL star boyfriend – after he raved about meeting William
PRINCE Harry is set to come face to face with Taylor Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelce – after the NFL star hit it off with his estranged brother William.
The Duke of Sussex will be honoured with the Pat Tillman Award for Service for his Invictus Games work at the glittering ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on July 11.
The ESPYs, the Oscars of American sport, are likely to set up an interesting moment with Kelce, who sources say has been invited to the ceremony.
Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs are nominated for best team of the year and his pal and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is up for best male athlete.
Kelce described William as “the coolest motherf**ker” after posing for a selfie with him, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Swift’s gig at Wembley last weekend.
He also said that “no other Prince” is doing it like William, which some took to be a subtle dig at Harry.
Swift has history with the Sussexes too after she declined to appear on Meghan’s Archetypes podcast last year.
Meghan is expected to join Harry at the star-studded event, hosted by the couple’s close friend and tennis ace Serena Williams.
A source said Harry will likely be “just feet away” from Kelce, adding: “It could be interesting given how much Travis hit it off with William.
“Travis is like the most sociable, happy go lucky, kind person in any room and is sure to want to say hello to the Prince and interact with the Sussexes.
“That is his style, and honestly he is one of the biggest names in US sport.
“For Harry it could be a potentially awkward encounter given that Travis spoke so warmly about and praised William.
“This will make headlines no matter what happens.
“If Harry ducks Travis that would look weird and if they chat the question will be whether they discussed William.”
For the last ten years the Pat Tillman Award for Service has been “given to a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman,” according to ESPN.
Harry was offered the award “in honour of his tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community through the power of sport.”
The duke founded the Invictus Games a decade ago to support injured and sick servicemen and women – both on active duty and veterans.
Travis recently spoke about meeting Harry’s brother in London last weekend on his podcast.
He told listeners: “We met royalty, guys. There was royalty at the show. I got there early and got to meet Prince William. How bout that? Your Royal Highness.”
He admitted he thought the prince was “so cool” but he didn’t know how to address him.
What happened to Pat Tillman?
ESPN recounted Tillman’s tragic death in 2014 as the 10th anniversary approached.
Tillman was a safety with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals for four seasons before joining the Army.
He enlisted eight months after 3,000 people were killed in the September 11 terror attacks.
Tillman, a California native, turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million when he joined the military.
“The events leading up to one of the most infamous friendly-fire deaths in US military history were rife for second-guessing from the start,” reported ESPN.
“After an Army Humvee broke down in the mountains, Tillman’s platoon was divided by superiors so that the Humvee could be removed; a local truck driver was hired as the hauler.
“But the two groups struggled to communicate with each other as they traversed the steep terrain. And the second group soon became caught in a deafening ambush, receiving fire as it manoeuvred down a narrow, rocky canyon trail.”
A squad leader would misidentify an allied Afghan soldier positioned next to Tillman as the enemy, according to ESPN.
Soldiers would fire upon what Army Ranger Steven Elliott called “shadowy images,” ESPN reported.
Travis said: “I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to bow to them, curtsy or just be an American idiot and shake their hand.
“Because we weren’t at an elegant, official royal event, we didn’t have to bow.
“If it would’ve been an official meeting-of-royalty event, then it would have been that.”
William, who was celebrating his 42nd birthday, posted a selfie with the global superstar the next day with the caption: “Thankyou Taylor Swift for a great evening!”
Swift also shared a cute snap she took after the gig with William, George, Charlotte and her American football player boyfriend Travis.
She wrote: “Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start.”
Footage posted online showed William dancing in the crowd among thousands of fans as Swift sang her hit Shake It Off.
Past honorees of the Pat Tillman Award for Service include
The Buffalo Bills’ training staff (2023) after Bills safety Damar Hamlin went into cardiac arrest on field.
Retired US Army Command Sergeant Major Gretchen Evans (2022) who founded Team Unbroken, an adaptive racing team of mostly veterans.
Manchester United star Marcus Rashford (2021)
Health care worker and boxing champion Kim Clavel (2020)
Kristie Ennis, former Marine and founder of the Kristie Ennis Foundation (2019)
Navy-Marine Commendation Medal recipient, Sergeant and founder of Team Rubicon Jake Wood (2018)
Purple Heart recipient and Invictus Games gold medalist Israel Del Toro (2017)
U.S. Army Sgt. and Invictus Games gold medalist Elizabeth Marks (2016)
Former Notre Dame basketball player, Iraq War veteran and Purple Heart recipient Danielle Green (2015)
U.S. Paralympic gold-medal sled hockey player and Purple Heart recipient Josh Sweeney (2014)