Jon Bon Jovi expresses his enduring gratitude to Taylor Swift for her role in persuading Prince William to join them onstage for a rendition of his iconic 1986 hit, ‘Livin’ on a Prayer‘.
Reflecting on the memorable moment, Bon Jovi credits Swift for orchestrating the impromptu performance, which took place at the Centrepoint Gala Dinner at Kensington Palace on 26 November 2013.
In a recent interview with The Independent, he paid tribute to Swift’s initiative, recalling how she seized the opportunity to involve the future king of England in the performance.
“It was all her,” Bon Jovi recalls. “She literally grabbed him by the arm and ran up on stage, and they both knew the words and sang along. I give her kudos and I’m grateful to this day because, you know, there’s the future king of England with the biggest pop star in the world singing one of your songs. It’s a great memory.”
Prince William also reminisced about the event during an episode of Apple Fitness+’s Time to Walk podcast in 2021. Recalling Swift’s invitation, the prince humorously recounts his initial reluctance.
“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,’” shared Prince William.
“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.’”
Recalling his experience onstage, Prince William candidly describes his initial bewilderment and eventual determination to make the most of the moment for the benefit of the audience.
“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?’” he reminisced.
“But the Centrepoint young guys and girls were there all loving it and cheering away. So I thought, ‘Well, if they’re enjoying it, then the night is for them. So sod it. I can’t be the doofus who’s going to ruin it for everyone.’ And so I desperately try and remember some of the words and sing as hard as I can.”
As for Taylor Swift, she recently released her latest album, The Tortured Poets Society, which has already made history by breaking the record for the album with the most Spotify streams in a single day.
