Over nine million people rushed to like Taylor Swift's Instagram upload of herself posing with Prince William and his children Prince George and Princess Charlotte backstage at Wembley Stadium during one of the London dates of her record-breaking Eras Tour last week. But one person who likely was not quite as happy to see the singer smiling alongside her brother-in-law and nephew and niece was Meghan Markle.
Meghan has been trying hard to become a member of Taylor's squad, but her attempts appear to have been of little avail, with the Shake It Off hitmaker reportedly turning down an appearance on Meghan's podcast Archetypes back in 2022.
A source tells Closer, "Taylor’s very much on the royals’ radar right now, it’s not just Princess Charlotte and Prince George that love her, everyone’s raving about her and how talented and charming she is. The word is she’s going to be top of their list for any upcoming galas or events that involve celebrities. It’s no secret Meghan went out of her way to try and build a relationship with Taylor and got nowhere, so it’s hard for her and Harry not to see this as being a calculated way for William and the royals to undermine them further, it’s certainly rubbing salt in the wound."
Although he went viral for showing off his moves to Taylor's hits during his night out with his two eldest children, according to insiders, the Sussexes believe this is another attempt from William of showing Harry and Meghan they are firmly outsiders when it comes to the Royal family, despite Harry's attempts to get back in touch with The Firm.
The source adds, "In their view it’s patently obvious that the royals, and William in particular, love to go after anything they come close to having so this is just being taken as more proof of that and they’re finding it pretty hard to swallow.
"Especially because their A-list friends that are supportive are few and far between. Any chance they had of mending fences with the Beckhams has been squashed by the royals, Tom Cruise has clearly chosen to side with the royals, George and Amal Clooney have all but dumped them too, and even Elton John has been too busy to give them a whole lot of attention. They already fear everyone is ganging up to have a go at them with William leading the charge, so this whole Taylor thing feels very personal, especially because of how big she is right now."
William, for his part, has always seemed to be a huge Taylor Swift fan – once joining Jon Bon Jovi on stage with Taylor to sing “Livin’ on a Prayer” at a charity event. Telling the story of the epic moment, William said in 2021, “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, okay, that seems like a great idea. I'll follow you.'”
The royals weren't the only famous faces in attendance at Taylor's London shows, with Tom Cruise, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher, Liam Hemsworth, Greta Gerwig and Beth Mead all seen enjoying the spectacle.
Meghan has also attended Taylor's Eras tour, being spotted at one of the singer's Los Angeles concerts with her friend Lucy Fraser, but it is believed she did not have the chance to meet the star backstage. And fans of the Royal family seemed to sense this would not go down well with the Sussexes.
One fan took to social media to write, "Oh man the shade! To not only Meghan & Harry but also her ex-London Boy [Joe Alwyn]. Bravo Taylor Swift and Prince William." A second added, "I'm glad that the royals all look happy. Wonder what Harry thinks of this." While a third penned, "You never saw Harry and Meghan get that close to Taylor Swift. Thanks for choosing the right side Taylor."
Others were happy to see George and Charlotte having a good time amid their mum Kate Middleton's ongoing treatment for cancer. One wrote underneath the Prince and Princess of Wales' own post, which has racked up almost three million likes, "This is absolutely adorable. Those kids needed a little sunshine with what they’re going through."
A second added, "Hey awesome dad, taking the kids to the concert when mama needs a rest. We see you." However, another rather cuttingly wrote, "I prefer Harry and Meghan. They are more representative of the modern day Britain and they can earn their own money without sucking it from tax payers."
“Meghan and Harry are both huge fans, they love Taylor’s music and what she represents, and they’ve made it very clear they would love some sort of relationship with her," the source adds.
"It’s true it hasn’t happened yet, but they’re not giving up and are going to continue to do what they can to woo her. The problem is every time they take any sort of risk or make even the smallest public appearance they’re judged so harshly from all sides and accused of trying to compete with the royals. And now that William’s made this big public connection with Taylor, any moves they make to connect with her are bound to get labelled as cheap copycat attempts, which is pretty unfair considering they’ve both been self-proclaimed Swifties for so long now.
"They don’t begrudge William taking the kids to her show, it’s not like they’re ranting and raving over that or even saying he shouldn’t have gone. It’s the selfie that’s set them off because it’s just so out of the ordinary for the royals to publicise something like that, even William’s own fans have branded it as shade towards the Sussexes, so it's understandable Meghan and Harry are feeling the sting and questioning William’s motives.
“At the end of the day this ultimately comes down to them feeling ostracised yet again. It’s another reminder they’re nowhere near the party, so to speak. Fact is, this is exactly the sort of event that Harry in particular would have loved to have gone to. It’s just a few months ahead of his 40th birthday, it would have been the perfect time to go and let loose and hang with his brother, and sadly that’s just not an option.
"And as far as Meghan and Harry's attempts to befriend Taylor go, it’s looking pretty unlikely because there are so many people already way ahead of them, including the royals. Once again, they’re feeling like the outsiders, it hurts.”