Why Taylor Swift 'got away with' risky Prince William selfie which could 'cause backlash'

Prince William showed a more relaxed side to him last week when he took two of his children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, to Taylor Swift's concert at Wembley Stadium.

In an unexpected twist, the Prince of Wales and his two eldest were captured smiling in a backstage selfie with Taylor and her beau Travis Kelce, which was later shared on Instagram.

The 34-year-old pop icon posted the snap in view of her 238million followers alongside the caption: "Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start." The image sent fans into overdrive when it also appeared on the Prince and Princess of Wales' official Instagram page alongside the words: "Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour."

The buzzworthy selfie sparked commentary from many across the world, including Marina Hyde and Richard Osman on their The Rest Is Entertainment podcast. Together, they mused that only someone of Taylor's high-profile status could share such an intimate snapshot with the usually reserved William, as she's considered "bigger" than the royals.

Journalist Hyde said: "When you see that [picture], you have to think ah, there are two photographers involved here because there is Taylor doing the selfie and then there is, I guess, Taylor's official photographer taking a photo of that moment happening and putting it out."

"Even though they've come in a private thing, you know the royal family, particularly the Wales' are so fussy about anything like that and they complain. You just think, yeah she's just bigger than them so what are they going to do?

"Complain to Taylor Swift and say she's put the photo out? I don't think so," she added, reports the Mirror.

"I thought that was really significant because if anyone else did that when they went on a private visit somewhere, there would be huge backlash and they'd be a big problem, but it's just sort of like, I will bend the knee to you Taylor."

Richard heartily agreed with his co-star and expressed that regardless of personal views on the royal family, it was a delight to witness "the sheer joy" on the faces of George and Charlotte.

He went on to liken the rare moment to "a religious experience" which prompted Marina to quip: "She is the ultimate capitalist." Prince William, along with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, were spotted relishing the three-hour concert from the comfort of a private box at Wembley Stadium, overlooking the thousands of fans.

A viral video captured the father-of-three grooving to Taylor's infectious tune Shake It Off, much to the delight of fans. One admirer gushed on social media platform X: "I loved seeing #PrinceWilliams dancing at the @taylorswift13 concert.

"We all know he is Royalty and in line to be King, but he is a person first. Prince William dancing to Shake It Off is my new fav video," chimed in another.

A third shared: "After a tough 6 months, Prince William deserves every happiness. How wonderful to see his joyful dancing on his birthday." "Loved to see Prince William's joyful dancing," another commented.