Prince William stunned crowds at Kensington Palace tonight by jumping on stage with Taylor Swift and Jon Bon Jovi for an 'off-the-cuff' rendition of Livin' On A Prayer.
The Duke of Cambridge met Swift and Bon Jovi at a drinks reception before the start of the Winter Whites Gala in aid of the Centrepoint charity.
However, nobody could have guessed how the evening would end as William accepted an invitation to join Eighties rocker Bon Jovi on stage, but insisting he would only do it if Swift came too.
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On
song: The Duke of Cambridge stunned guests at a charity dinner in
Kensington Palace tonight as he jumped up on stage with Taylor Swift and
Jon Bon Jovi for a rendition of Livin' On A Prayer
Last-minute
preparation: As Bon Jovi belted out the verse of the song, and Swift
danced alongside, William jokingly spruced himself up before the chorus
Top
marks for effort: While the prince was clearly enjoying himself up on
the stage, and Bon Jovi rattled through one of his band's biggest hits,
Swift seemed determined to hive it her all
That
was fun: Bon Jovi and William laugh after their efforts in the chorus
of the classic hit. William is believed to have sung the song at his
cousin Zara Tindall's wedding reception
More
serious stuff: Bon Jovi and William pose for the cameras as the
musician was presented with an award for his commitment to the
Centrepoint charity
The performance took place inside a specially erected marquee for a concert compared by Jonathan Ross and kicked off by Eliza Dolittle, who thanked Prince William for 'letting us use his gaff tonight’!
Nice job: While William may not be ready for a Bon Jovi tour just yet, the two shook hands warmly after their impromptu song
Star turn Taylor Swift electrified the audience with a performance of her hit singles Trouble and Fifteen.
She told the audience: ‘I’m Taylor, it is very nice to meet you, especially under these circumstances. It is my first time playing at Kensington Palace or any other palace for that matter.
'I have to thank you, Prince William, for having me. It’s amazing. To call attention to this age group especially, teens and young adults.'
She also sang her breakthrough hit Love Story, written when she was banned from going on a date at 17. She said: ‘This has reference to palaces, princes and princesses and it is very strange that I end up playing it in a palace.’
Speaking about performing at the gala earlier in the evening, Taylor said: 'I'm absolutely excited. I don't think I've ever played at a palace before, so it is really wonderful.'
It's safe to say that she hasn't belted out a Bon Jovi hit with a future king of England either - so it was a night of firsts for the 23-year-old singer.
Sorting
out harmonies, perhaps? Swift and William met earlier during a drinks
reception, but few fellow guests could have known they would end up on
stage together
Generation
game: Bon Jovi said he had met Prince Philip and Prince Charles, and
was looking forward to meeting Prince George. Of Prince William, the
singer said he thought he was 'a nice young kid'
Bon
Jovi (left) was at the event with his wife Dorothea Hurley (right) and
their children Jacob (2nd left), Stephanie (3rd left) and Romeo (front,
4th left)
'Inspiring':
William poses with a group of children who have used the charity in the
past. He said it was up to Centrepoint to help 'deserving young
children'
Describing her meeting with Prince William, she laughed: 'He was very funny. I was really happy he was funny.'
The pop princess was wearing a Reem Acra dress and carrying a clutch bag by Jenny Packham, the same designer who made the blue and white polka dot maternity dress Kate wore when bringing baby George out of hospital.
Jon Bon Jovi said meeting the Duke had not been an intimidating experience, as he had already met most of William's family: 'I met his father and I met his grandfather. He's still a young kid to me, but a nice young kid.'
After the performances and dinner the Prince met Centrepoint Ambassadors Sara Cox and Scott Mills
It
wasn't just celebrities the Duke spoke to. He also shared a word or two
with Gerry Glynn who was on hand to provide a sprinkle of fake snow
during the evening
He added Prince George was the next generation for him to meet while saying he may try to convince William to get on stage.
William was known to have performed a karaoke version of Livin' On A Prayer at his cousin Zara Tindall’s wedding reception.
Guests paid at least £500 each to attend The Winter Whites Gala, which was held in aid of Centrepoint, a charity for youth homelessness.
The Duchess of Cambridge missed the event, kept busy looking after four-month-old George in the couple's 20-room apartment next door.
The palace itself was decked out in the style of a winter wonderland, with fake snow, fir trees and icicles.
William was known to have performed a karaoke version of Livin' On A Prayer at his cousin Zara Tindall’s wedding reception.
Guests paid at least £500 each to attend The Winter Whites Gala, which was held in aid of Centrepoint, a charity for youth homelessness.
The Duchess of Cambridge missed the event, kept busy looking after four-month-old George in the couple's 20-room apartment next door.
The palace itself was decked out in the style of a winter wonderland, with fake snow, fir trees and icicles.
Special
occasion: Swift and Bon Jovi have their photo taken together in the
King's Gallery. Swift said she was very excited by the event, because it
was the first time she had performed in a palace
All
about the children: Swift even found time to take a picture with Bon
Jovi's children Romeo (left) and Jacob (right) before she was due on
stage to perform later in the night
But he stressed that despite the fun nature of the evening it was all about ‘those young people less fortunate than us, who, for reasons very often out of their own control, find themselves sleeping rough; not knowing where their next meal is coming from; without anyone to turn to; helpless.’
In a speech he said: ‘A few years ago at about this time of year, for one night only, I gave up the comfort of my bed and tried sleeping on the streets of London. That was just one night, and I knew I had a home waiting for me. Many others have no such comfort – the cold streets are the only reality they know.
‘After that night, the Chief Executive of Centrepoint, Seyi Obakin and I decided to set Centrepoint a very tough challenge: to end youth homelessness within a decade. We felt that this was an ambitious yet achievable goal, and one worth striving for. We are now several years into that decade, and Centrepoint has been working strenuously to achieve this ideal.
‘However, as I saw for myself last week when I visited a Centrepoint facility in Sunderland, the problems remain as acute as ever. Centrepoint knows it cannot succeed alone, which is why I am delighted to welcome so many here tonight who share with us the same ambition.
‘Tonight will move us all one step closer to helping these deserving young people, these inspiring young people who, given the right opportunities, can go on to achieve so much.
‘Our support, ladies and gentlemen, can allow them to secure themselves a bed, an education, a job, a future.’
A-listers:
James Blunt, Bon Jovi, rapper Tinie Tempah and Eliza Doolittle provided
the entertainment for the event, which set guests back at least £500 a
head
Star
guests: Actor Colin Firth and his wife Livia (left) were among the
guests, along with TV presenter Jonathan Ross and his screenwriter wife
Jane Goldman
Not
ALL work: When not up on stage entertaining the guests, James Blunt
enjoyed the night with his partner Sofia Wellesley, as did Eliza
Doolittle and Tinie Tempah
William and Charles both have a passion for conservation, and were launching a new project to try to halt the illegal trade in endangered animal products.
Prince Charles said he wanted to highlight the worrying increase in the trafficking of ivory and rhino horn as well as bush meat and live endangered species.
The zoo has two Sumatran tigers, a five-year-old male called Jae Jae and his mate, Melati, five, big cats who face an uncertain future in the wild.
Describing them as ‘beautiful and majestic’ creatures, William spoke about the United for Wildlife project, of which he is president.
Zoo
visit: Earlier in the day William shared a joke with his father Prince
Charles while on a visit to London Zoo to launch a new conversation
project
That's
close enough: Father and son are keen conservationists, and were at the
zoo to promote a scheme aimed at stopping the trade in animal products,
and protecting endangered species such as the Sumatran tiger
‘The idea was that United For Wildlife can progress and we can really start the ball rolling and the momentum and really try and change and tackle this issue,’ he said.
The prince, who said he hopes to travel to Kenya next year to further his work, went on: ‘Education is the most important thing as we saw with the shark fin soup campaign - the more education, the more obviously we can put out there and show people and educate them on what they’re buying and what they’re seeing and really try and change their attitudes.
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