Prince William is a devoted dad to Princess Charlotte — and the two even share a special fandom for Taylor Swift.
While speaking to broadcasters in South Africa on Nov. 6 ahead of his 2024 Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, the Prince of Wales, 42, revealed the story behind his “Papa” bracelet that his daughter made and its connection to the music superstar.
“Well, this is a relic, if you like, from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for,” Prince William said when asked about the surprise accessory he has been wearing this week. “She gave it to me when I came away. So I promised that I’d wear it and try not to lose while I was out here.”
Prince William, who shares children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, with wife Kate Middleton, took his eldest two children to one of Swift’s Eras Tour shows in London on June 21, his 42nd birthday.
William and Charlotte were spotted dancing in the stands to “Shake It Off,” and the royals snapped a selfie behind the scenes with Swift and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce.
The Kansas City Chiefs star and his brother Jason Kelce later praised Prince William’s parenting skills on their New Heights podcast, with Travis describing the royals as an “absolute delight” and Jason complimenting how Princess Charlotte “had fire to her” from his perspective as a girl dad.
Chris Jackson/Getty
Prince William is keeping his role as “Papa” close with the blue, green and letter-beaded bracelet, which he has been wearing since the kickoff of the trip to Cape Town. (He’s also not the only family member Princess Charlotte maybe gave a bracelet to — King Charles and Prince George wore string bracelets over the summer as well!)
The heir to the throne is in South Africa for the fourth cycle of the Earthshot Prize Awards, the celebration for the global contest he launched in 2020 to inspire impactful approaches to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Victoria Jones – Pool/Getty
The Earthshot Prize plans to award $1.3 million Earthshot Prizes in five flagship categories annually until 2030, and while Princess Kate didn’t join her husband for the awards as she has in years past, Prince William gave a bright update on how his wife is doing. The Princess of Wales, 42, announced on Sept. 9 that she completed chemotherapy treatment after sharing in March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer.
“She’s doing really well thanks. And hopefully, she is watching tonight. So cheering me on,” Prince William said about his wife. “She’s been amazing this whole this whole year. I know she will be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
DANNY LAWSON/POOL/AFP via Getty
Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
It was understood that Prince William would travel solo to Cape Town, as Princess Kate has not fully returned to public work after completing chemo.
Later today, the Prince of Wales is expected to take the stage as five of the 15 finalists are awarded the game-changing grant for their environmental ideas at the star-studded event described by Prince William’s team as his “Super Bowl moment.”
