Travis Kelce appeared to snub the chance to mingle with royalty at the ESPY Awards as he chose not to attend the event graced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Kelce, a standout player for the Kansas City Chiefs, was reportedly invited to the star-studded ceremony where his team was nominated for Best Team. However, prior to the event, ESPN's guest list did not include Kelce's name, confirming his decision to skip the glitzy awards night. His teammate, Patrick Mahomes, also chose not to attend despite winning the Best Athlete in Men's Sports accolade.
With both Kelce and Mahomes absent, it was left to head coach Andy Reid to represent the team. Mahomes's family members, including his mother Randi and sister Mia Rundle, were present and even snapped photos with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Despite this, Kelce missed the opportunity to meet Prince Harry at the Dolby Theatre event in Los Angeles.
This came just weeks after Kelce's warm encounter with Prince William at Taylor Swift's London concert, which he fondly recounted on his "New Heights" podcast. "Dude, Prince William was the coolest," Kelce said. "He was awesome. He was so cool. I didn't realize this because, obviously, we were backstage meeting him because he was there with little George and Charlotte, and they were an absolute delight to meet. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to bow to them, curtsy, or just be an American idiot and shake their hand. But they said that because we weren't at an official royal event, we didn't need to bow or curtsy.
If it had been an official meeting of royalty, then it would have been different, but I did still address him as 'Your Royal Highness.'" Kelce even snapped a selfie with Prince William and his two eldest children, Charlotte and George, during the concert on June 21st. Taylor Swift shared the moments on social media, posting, "Happy birthday, mate! London shows are off to a splendid start." The Prince and Princess of Wales also shared their gratitude, thanking Taylor Swift for a great evening with the hashtag #LondonTSTheErasTour.
Despite the buzz surrounding a potential meeting between Kelce and Prince Harry at the ESPY Awards, it never happened. Harry was in town to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service, and an insider had hinted at the potential for an intriguing encounter, given Kelce's positive rapport with Prince William. "It could be interesting, given how much Travis hit it off with William," the insider told The Sun. "Travis is the most sociable, happy-go-lucky kind of person in any room and is sure to want to say hello to the prince and interact with the Sussexes.
That's his style, and honestly, he's one of the biggest names in US sports. For Harry, it could be a potentially awkward encounter, given that Travis spoke so warmly about and praised William. This will make headlines no matter what happens. If Harry ducks Travis, that would look weird, and if they chat, the question will be whether they discussed William." Nevertheless, the two stars didn't cross paths at the ESPYs.
However, Kelce did receive a mention during the ceremony. In her opening monologue, host Serena Williams joked about the year's sports highlights, saying, "Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift's boyfriend win a Super Bowl." This humorous nod came amidst swirling rumors about the dynamics between Kelce, the Sussexes, and the royal family. In 2022, Swift reportedly turned down a request from Meghan Markle to appear on a podcast. Later in 2023, Markle attended a Swift concert but wasn't invited backstage. Then, in June 2024, Prince William attended Swift's concert on his birthday, meeting Swift and Kelce backstage.
