Taylor Swift fans Prince George and Princess Charlotte – and even Grandpa Wales – can’t get enough of summer trend for friendship bracelets, after pop idol’s fans made them popular again
Friendship bracelets are back in fashion. Just ask royal generation alphas Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
Even the king, who is more traditional than cool, has been spotted wearing one.
The woven bands originate from thousands of years ago. They are believed to have been invented by Native Americans in 1940. However, they only became very popular in the 1970s when hippies started making and wearing them. They were given as a sign of friendship.
In 2024, they’ll be all the rage again, thanks in large part to Taylor Swift. Her fans have long since started sharing beaded versions of her songs, often with passages from her lyrics.
During Taylor’s London concerts in June, the pop icon’s boyfriend Travis Kelce was spotted swapping friendship bracelets with a Swiftie. She was also spotted with her wrists covered in bracelets at the end of her performances.
Taylor Swift fans are known to love friendship bracelets. Prince George and Princess Charlotte, pictured here with the world-famous pop star, and the Prince of Wales, during her concerts in London in June, are also big fans of the singer.
Kensington Palace shared this portrait of Prince George, taken by his mother Kate, to mark his 11th birthday — and the certified Swiftie wore a friendship bracelet on his left wrist
King Charles, 75, has been spotted wearing what appears to be a ‘friendship bracelet’ during recent engagements, including today for his visit to Guernsey with Queen Camilla, pictured left. The band, made of yellow and red thread, resembles the versions worn by His Majesty’s granddaughter Princess Charlotte, nine, when she attended the Wimbledon final last weekend, pictured right
It is unclear whether the king’s new piece of jewelry (pictured) is a gift from his granddaughter
Charlotte wore two of the strung bracelets, one with different shades of pink and another with green, blue and pink fabric
And the three-time Super Bowl winner even admitted he once put his number on a beaded bracelet to get Taylor’s attention before the two started dating last year.
Since meeting the star during her London performance, the young royals have been fully on board with the summer trend. In the photo of George’s 11th birthday, taken by the Princess of Wales, the prince – a true Swiftie – can be seen dressed in a smart suit, with a woven bracelet on his left wrist.
It’s not the first time George has worn it, by the way. The young royal wore it again with a suit when he attended the UEFA Euro 2024 final between Spain and England two weeks ago.
King Charles, 75, has also been spotted wearing what appears to be a ‘friendship bracelet’ during recent engagements, including when he visited Queen Camilla in Guernsey last week.
Both George and Charlotte have worn the bands — not quite the same as the beaded ones worn by Swifties — to major sporting events this summer, with Princess Charlotte wearing one to the men’s singles event at Wimbledon and the young prince wearing one to a European Championship match
When Princess Charlotte attended the Wimbledon men’s final, she also wore bracelets that were very similar to the one Prince George wore in his birthday photo.
A gift from the grandkids? During his trip to the Channel Islands last week, King Charles was also spotted wearing a handmade bracelet on his right wrist (pictured left)
The bracelet is made of yellow and red yarn and resembles the ones worn by His Majesty’s granddaughter, Princess Charlotte, nine, when she attended the Wimbledon final last weekend with her mother, the Princess of Wales.
Charlotte wore a navy blue polka dot dress and wore two of the strung bracelets, one of which was in different shades of pink and the other of green, blue and pink fabric.
Friendship bracelets have become more popular again this summer thanks to the success of Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.
However, it is believed that the royal versions do not match the versions that Taylor’s fans made at her concerts. George and Charlotte did attend her Wembley performance last month, however.
The bracelets Swifties swap often feature beads with our lyrics and song names printed on them, while Charlotte, George and Charles’ accessories are made of solid-colored thread.
Swift, who will perform in London again in August, has revived the friendship bracelet trend in recent years
During Taylor’s June concerts, Travis and Jason Kelce were spotted exchanging friendship bracelets with a Taylor Swift fan at the singer’s sold-out London performance
Yesterday, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a new portrait of Prince George in honor of his 11th birthday.
The black and white photo, taken by 42-year-old enthusiastic photographer Kate, shows the future king beaming into the camera.
The young royal, the eldest child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, was born George Alexander Louis on July 22, 2013, at the Lindo Wing of St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London.
The Waleses posted the photo on their social media accounts, writing: ‘Wishing Prince George a very happy 11th birthday today!’
They confirmed that Kate took the photo sometime this year.
The Princess of Wales has been an avid photographer for many years and is often the one behind the camera when birthday photos are taken of her children.