Jon Bon Jovi Recalls ‘Great Memory’ When Taylor Swift and Prince William Joined Him Onstage to Sing Hit Song

As Taylor Swift shattered music streaming records with the release of her 11th studio album The Tortured Poets Department, Jon Bon Jovi fondly remembered a moment he once shared onstage years ago with the pop star and Prince William.

The Bon Jovi frontman explained the circumstances behind that unexpected moment during a recent interview with The Independent. The three attended a gala in November 2013 at Kensington Palace to support the Centrepoint charity. As Parade reported at the time, Bon Jovi performed his band’s hit 1986 song “Livin’ on a Prayer” in front of an estimated 600 event attendees when Swift and the prince joined him onstage.

The shared performance that followed was “all her,” Bon Jovi told the British newspaper. “She literally grabbed him by the arm and ran up on stage, and they both knew the words and sang along.”

Bon Jovi said he is “grateful to this day” to the “Cruel Summer” singer for making the unusual onstage union happen. “It’s a great memory,” he added.

As the Prince of Wales explained a couple of years ago, Bon Jovi was not the only one surprised by that performance.

“To this day, I still do not know what came over me,” William told the Time to Walk podcast in December 2021. He recalled Swift saying, “Come on, William,” and leading him to the stage.

“I got up like a puppy and went, ‘Yeah, okay, that seems like a great idea. I’ll follow you,’” he remembered. Looking back, he said he didn’t “understand why I gave in.”

The “Love Story” singer was a known celebrity at the time, but she has reached a whole new level of stardom in the last decade, especially after transitionining from country singer to pop star with the 2014 release of her hit album 1989. The success of her international Eras Tour and subsequent concert film and release of her surprise double album on April 19, further cemented her role as a megastar.