Since their bombshell exit from the Royal Family in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have carved out an inner circle that includes some of Hollywood’s biggest A-listers.
Yet, billionaire singer Taylor Swift appears to have steered clear of the estranged Royal duo, even reportedly turning down two separate invitations to appear on Meghan’s now-axed podcasts.
In a seeming indication of their lack of closeness – when Harry, 41, was quizzed about the queen of pop’s growing ‘feud’ with British singer Charli XCX, the Prince appeared stunned, having limited knowledge of the so-called ‘diss track’ drama.
During an interview on the latest episode of the show Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know, the American comedian asked the Duke: ‘What do you think of this Charli XCX Taylor Swift beef?’
But Harry, seemingly baffled, responded: ‘The what?… Oh no’.
‘No, this is serious, because was Charli’s diss track even a diss track?’, Minhaj continued.
The suspected conflict between the two pop princesses is believed to be in reference to lyrics that feature in Taylor’s new album, The Life Of A Showgirl.
‘I heard you call me “Boring Barbie” when the coke’s got you brave,’ Swift sings on her track Actually Romantic, in a lyric that many listeners interpreted as a pointed jab at Charli, who has openly referenced drug use in her own music. However, neither party has yet confirmed who the song is really about.
When Harry was quizzed about the queen of pop’s growing ‘feud’ with British singer Charli XCX on the latest episode of the show Hasan Minhaj Doesn’t Know, the Prince appeared stunned, having limited knowledge of the so-called ‘diss track’ drama
The suspected conflict between the two pop princesses is believed to be in reference to lyrics that feature in Taylor’s new album, The Life Of A Showgirl. But such ‘drama’ was unbeknown to the Prince, who looked on humorously as Minhaj further detailed the rumoured feud
Yet despite frequently mixing with some of Hollywood’s most high-ranked celebrity figures, such ‘drama’ was unbeknownst to the Prince, who looked on humorously as Minhaj further detailed the rumoured feud.
‘To me, “Sympathy Is a Knife” was about something completely different but then Taylor comes back and I think escalates it with the “Actually Romantic” thing’, the host states.
Watching on dumbfounded, at one point the Prince appears to break a smile and look to the side before Minhaj continues: ‘I’m kind of thinking to myself – is this fair? Or did Charli draw blood and Taylor had to respond?’
Leaving a short break for the Prince to relay his thoughts, Harry looks incredibly baffled as he struggles to find any words before uttering out a brief ‘I-‘.
But Minhaj then jumps in to round off the humorous discussion, asking: ‘I just think – where do we go from here, you know?’ while Harry slowly nods in response.
The award-winning podcast by the American comedian features sit-down conversations with some of the biggest names across politics, culture and tech, with Harry appearing on the show to discuss his explosive book Spare and his life in America.
Beyond the lighthearted conversation, the Prince also stressed his views regarding children on social media, stating: ‘Social media is taking young men and young boys into very dark places, which should concern all of us.’
While Harry and Meghan are no strangers to the celebrity world, as a member of British Royalty and a former Suits star, there has been speculation that there have been remnants of Bad Blood between the Duchess and Taylor for a while.
There has been speculation that there could be remnants of Bad Blood between the Duchess and Taylor for a while. Meghan was said to have tried to land Taylor for a female empowerment episode of her discontinued podcast earlier this year, but a source said she never responded
During the recording period for her now-axed podcast Archetypes, the pop singer had been asked by Meghan to make an appearance, even sending her a ‘personal letter’ in the hopes that she would agree, but she reportedly declined the request
Meghan was said to have tried to land some of the world’s biggest stars, including Taylor, for a female empowerment episode of her discontinued podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, earlier this year.
However, one source close to the production claimed that ‘no one’ had been ‘picking up the phone’, adding: ‘The show is not landing.’
They continued: ‘There’s no Taylor Swift. No Beyoncé. Not even a Hailey Bieber. And when you’re pitching female empowerment, that’s a problem. It speaks volumes for her pulling power.’
And, two years prior, during the recording period for her now-axed podcast Archetypes, the pop singer had been asked by Meghan to make an appearance, even sending her a ‘personal letter’ in the hopes that she would agree.
But the invitation was said to have been instantly turned down, with Taylor Swift’s representative rejecting the appearance, the Wall Street Journal claimed.
It was likely that such rejection would have come as a great sadness for Meghan, long believed to be a so-called ‘Swiftie’ who reportedly attended the singer’s Eras Tour when she stopped in Los Angeles in 2023.
And while there has been no explanation for Taylor’s ‘snub’ of Meghan, one can’t help but notice that the popstar has had little qualms with presenting a public show of unity with Harry’s estranged brother, Prince William.
Indeed, the two seem to have formed a firm friendship. While Taylor may not have been photographed with Meghan, she happily posed for a selfie with the Prince and his children when she kicked off the London leg of her Eras Tour in June last year.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official X account posted the adorable photo with the caption: ‘Thank you Taylor Swift for a great evening!’
During the concert, where the pop star performed in front of fans, celebrities and politicians, as well as her American footballer boyfriend Travis Kelce, the Prince of Wales was filmed breaking out his best ‘dad dancing’ moves as Taylor sang her hit Shake it Off.
But the popstar has had little qualms with presenting a public show of unity with Harry’s estranged brother, Prince William. She happily posed for a selfie with the Prince and his children when she kicked off the London leg of her Eras Tour in June last year
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Yet, it was also not the first time that William had given Taylor the Royal seal of approval.
In November 2013, the pair made headlines when they took to the stage during a charity event to sing a song together with Jon Bon Jovi. The unlikely trio sang a rendition of the Bon Jovi hit Livin’ On A Prayer, with William even playing the air guitar before high-fiving his bandmates.
According to event organisers, the performance, which occurred at the Winter Whites Gala evening at Kensington Palace, was totally impromptu.
During the evening, Taylor gave a speech and mentioned the Prince, stating: ‘I’m Taylor, it is very nice to meet you, especially under these circumstances. It is my first time playing at Kensington Palace or any other palace for that matter.
‘I have to thank you, Prince William, for having me. It’s amazing. To call attention to this age group especially, teens and young adults.’
Later describing her meeting with Prince William, she laughed: ‘He was very funny. I was really happy he was funny.’
The pop star and Prince were snapped sitting next to each other throughout the evening, where they were seen smiling and laughing while conversing.
It was also not the first time that William had given Taylor the Royal seal of approval. In November 2013, the pair made headlines when they took to the stage during a charity event to sing a song together with Jon Bon Jovi
William, who spoke about the iconic moment in 2021, said he obeyed ‘like a puppy’ when the glamorous pop star ordered him on stage for the impromptu performance with Jon Bon Jovi
Describing the viral moment during an interview with The Mail on Sunday shortly after the event, Taylor said: ‘I could hear his voice and it’s pretty good. A nice tone. I’d definitely say he has got star quality and if he ever wants me to sing with him again, I’ll be there.’
Meanwhile, William, who spoke about the iconic moment in 2021, said he obeyed ‘like a puppy’ when the glamorous pop star ordered him on stage for the impromptu performance with Jon Bon Jovi.
He said: ‘I can’t believe I’m actually telling you this story… I turn up and Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift are at the event, which nearly knocked me off my feet.
‘When I sat down to watch Jon Bon Jovi do his performance, I thought, “That’s it. My job is done. I’ll get a dinner in a minute, and I might be able to have a chat to some people, and, you know, I’m off-duty a little bit now”.’
But matters did not go according to that plan.
‘Little did I think what was going to happen next,’ he adds. ‘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.” 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.
‘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, OK, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you.”
Later describing her meeting with Prince William, Taylor had said: ‘He was very funny. I was really happy he was funny.’ The pop star and Prince were snapped sitting next to each other throughout the evening, where they were seen smiling and laughing while conversing
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‘I walked up on stage in a trance and then sort of halfway through Jon Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer song, I wake up. And I’m thinking to myself, “Am I standing on the stage singing Livin’ On A Prayer when I don’t even know the words?”‘
When Taylor announced her engagement to Travis Kelce in August on Instagram, William and his wife, Princess Catherine, were quick to like the post through their official Instagram account, @princeandprincessofwales.
But they weren’t the only couple from the Royal fold to have expressed their joy at the engagement news, with Meghan also taking to Instagram to like the post that was captioned: ‘Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married’.
As rumours begin to circulate about which star-studded celebrities are likely to make the wedding list, it seems unlikely that the singer would want her big day overshadowed by a Royal rift between the two Princes.
And as the likelihood of a reconciliation between the Sussexes and Waleses continues to diminish, one can perhaps make their own assumptions about which Royal couple are more likely to receive an invite in the post.