Honoree Prince Harry Will Likely Be “Just Feet Away” from Travis Kelce at Next Month’s ESPY Awards, Which “Could Be Interesting, Given How Much Travis Hit It Off with William” at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour
“This will make headlines no matter what happens.”
On July 11, Prince Harry will be honored with the Pat Tillman Award for Service at the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles—and while there, he will likely interface with Travis Kelce, who just one week ago hung out (and had high praise) for Harry’s brother, Prince William, as well as his two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Billed as “the Oscars of American sport” by The Sun, the ESPYs “are likely to set up an interesting moment with Kelce” and Harry, who, the outlet reports, will most likely be accompanied by his wife, Meghan Markle, to the ceremony.
Kelce plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, who are both defending Super Bowl champions and nominated for Best Team of the Year at the awards ceremony. Kelce’s quarterback and friend Patrick Mahomes is also up for Best Male Athlete at this year’s ESPYs.
In addition to her husband winning an extremely prestigious award, Meghan’s close friend Serena Williams will also be hosting the event.
Harry will likely be “just feet away” from Kelce at the event, a source speaking to The Sun said; they added “It could be interesting, given how much Travis hit it off with William.”
After their meeting, Kelce described the Prince of Wales as “the coolest motherfucker” and praised him for how genuine he was and, perhaps most meaningfully, his parenting skills. “If anyone’s doing it right, Prince William’s doing it right,” Kelce said on his podcast “New Heights,” alongside older brother Jason Kelce, who also praised William, George, and Charlotte.
But, for Kelce, he can be friendly with both brothers, and at the ESPYs next month “Travis is, like, the most sociable, happy go lucky, kind person in any room, and is sure to want to say hello to the Prince [Harry] and interact with the Sussexes,” they said. “That is his style, and, honestly, he is one of the biggest names in U.S. sport. 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.”
Stay In The Know
Marie Claire email subscribers get intel on fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more. Sign up here.
The award Harry is winning—no doubt for his work over the past decade with the Invictus Games, which just celebrated its 10-year anniversary last month—is “given to a person with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of the former NFL player and U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman,” according to ESPN. Tillman died on April 22, 2004 at just 27 years old in Afghanistan while serving there, reportedly as a result of friendly fire.
Harry, ESPN said, won the award named for Tillman “in honor of his tireless work in making a positive impact for the veteran community through the power of sport.”
Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.
-
Jennifer Lopez is the Queen of Coastal Prep in a Knitted Ralph Lauren Sweater
A casual bike ride never looked so chic.
By Danielle Campoamor Published
-
Prince William and Princess Kate Secretly Donate Funds to Those Impacted By Hurricane Beryl
The Category 4 storm devastated parts of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands.
By Danielle Campoamor Published
-
King Charles Appoints New U.K. Prime Minister For the Third Time in Less Than Two Years
Queen Elizabeth appointed 15 prime ministers during her 70-year reign.
By Danielle Campoamor Published
-
Prince William Has Been “A Constant Source of Strength” as Princess Kate Continues to Undergo Treatment for Cancer, While Kate “Gives Him the Security, Love, and Friendship He Needs”
“They are each other’s confidants, providing emotional support.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
If Princess Diana Were Alive, She’d Surely Have “Sorted” the Ongoing Feud Between Brothers Prince William and Prince Harry, Her Butler Says
“She wouldn’t stand for this nonsense.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Travis Kelce Says He Turned Down This Netflix Reality Show to Focus on Other Projects: “I’m Way Over the Reality S—”
“I’d rather just play ball, man.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
ESPN Responds to Backlash Over Prince Harry Being Named the Recipient of the Pat Tillman Award at the ESPYs—Including Complaints from Tillman’s Mother Over Harry's Selection
Past recipients of the Tillman Award have also spoken out in defense of Harry, calling him a “worthy recipient” because of his work with veterans.
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Niecy Nash-Betts Is “Pleasantly Surprised” by ‘Grotesquerie’ Co-Star Travis Kelce’s Acting Skills
Of Ryan Murphy’s unexpected decision to cast him in the forthcoming FX horror series, Kelce himself said of his acting debut “hopefully I don’t bomb this for him.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
The Prince and Princess of Wales Have Emerged As the “Pillars on Which the Future of the Monarchy Rests,” Royal Biographer Says
“If either of them starts to wobble, the whole thing can come crashing down.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
In Terms of Royal Family Power Dynamics, Prince William Has Reportedly Emerged as the Family Disciplinarian After Prince Philip’s Death Three Years Ago
“Now William is calling the shots.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published
-
Prince William’s 42nd Birthday Photo Symbolizes How the Prince of Wales Is Rewriting the Royal Family Parenting Playbook
Taken by Princess Kate, the snap “is a physical expression of their togetherness during what has been an emotionally challenging time.”
By Rachel Burchfield Published