Prince William’s Viral Dance Moves at Taylor Swift’s London Concert Had an ‘Alpha Edge,’ According to a Body Language Expert
Prince William shook it off at Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” concert in London, England, when he turned 42 on June 21, 2024. The Prince of Wales went viral for “dad dancing” when the pop star performed “Shake It Off.” According to a body language expert, however, there was more to William’s dance moves during Swift’s performance.
William danced like no one’s ‘watching’ while Taylor performed ‘Shake It Off’
The heir to the throne, alongside his two oldest children, Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, 9, were among the celebrities to attend Swift’s weekend of London shows from June 21-23, 2024.
(Kate Middleton is believed to have stayed home with their youngest child, 6-year-old Prince Louis.) While photos of them with the “But Daddy I Love Him” songstress went viral—more on those ahead—so did a video of William dancing.
The brief clip, which was later posted to the official Eras Tour X account, showed William enthusiastically dancing to “Shake It Off,” one of the hit tracks from Swift’s “1989” album. Body language expert Judi James examined the footage and called the father of three’s dance moves “epic.”
“Standing alone and totally visible at the rail he dances like no-one [sic] is watching,” James told The Sun. “This is joyous dancing with a celebratory alpha edge to it.”
William, George, and Charlotte were also joined by Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne, and her husband, Mike Tindall, as well as their daughters Mia and Lena.
William’s ‘chest shimmy’ at Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ concert
James continued, zeroing in on one of William’s dance moves she described as a “chest shimmy.” The move, she told the outlet, could be something he’s done before.
“The chest shimmy is a tricky technique, suggesting William might actually have had a bit of practice at this one on previous occasions.”
“His hands are held high, and his chest puffed and performing a ‘sexy’ chest wobble or shimmy from side to side as his head is thrown back and his jacket falls open,” the expert added.
As for why more of William’s moves weren’t caught on camera, an insider told Hello the future king was mindful of where he stood. (William, Charlotte, and George had box seats.)
“Most of the time, he and the kids were further back, so they didn’t draw too much attention,” they said. “But there were moments where they were at the front so a lot of swapping was happening.”
The royal trio also reportedly left 10 minutes early to avoid crowds.
William (and Prince George) looked ‘over-awed’ posing with Swift for photos at Wembley
William’s “Shake It Off” dancing wasn’t the only thing that went viral from Swift’s concert involving the royal family. Two photos—one posted to social media by the Grammy winner and another by Kensington Palace—also caused a stir.
William, George, and Charlotte were seen posing alongside Swift for a selfie posted to William and Kate’s official Instagram account. “Thank you @taylorswift for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour,” the caption read.
Analyzing the body language seen in the photo, James noted how George and William had similar expressions.
“William stands behind his son with a big grin on his face,” she said, noting his hand on George’s shoulder. Meanwhile “George performs a shy smile with his hands clasped in front of his torso.”
The end result? “Both father and son looking a little over-awed to be posing with Taylor here,” she said.
As for Charlotte, “some intense mirroring” ensued, with her sporting “an identical pose to Taylor herself.” James continued. “For the moment, they are just two fan-girls together, and Charlotte’s wide, open-mouth smile shows how excited she is to be posing with arguably the world’s biggest star.”
Meanwhile, the “Fortnight” singer shared an image to her own Instagram. It showed her NFL player boyfriend, Travis Kelce, standing with her, William, Charlotte, and George. “Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start,” Swift captioned the post.
Showbiz Cheat Sheet acknowledges conditions and cultures can impact body language and is sensitive to all backgrounds.
