Travis Kelce appears to have snubbed the opportunity to rub shoulders with royalty at the ESPYs, having not turned up to an event that Prince Harry And Meghan Markle graced with their presence. Reports had it that Kelce was invited to the star-studded ceremony, where the Kansas City Chiefs were up for Best Team.

Prior to showtime, ESPN’s guest list did not feature Kelces name, confirming he chose to skip the glitzy award night. His teammate Patrick Mahomes also decided against attending, although he scooped the Best Athlete in Mens Sports accolade.

It was left to head coach Andy Reid to pick up any awards, while Mahomes’ representation came in the form of family, with mum Randi and sister Mia Randall there, who notably got snapped with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Yet Kelce missed out on meeting Prince Harry at the Dolby Theatre bash in LA, just weeks after a warm encounter with his brother, Prince William, at Taylor Swift’s London gig – a meet-up Kelce recounted fondly on his ‘New Heights’ podcast: “Dude, he [Prince William] was the coolest mother ——.”

“He was awesome. He was so cool. I didn’t realise this because obviously we were backstage meeting him because he was there with little George and Charlotte, and they were an absolute delight to meet. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to like bow to them, curtsy, just be an American idiot and shake their hand.

“But they said that because we weren’t at like an official royal event, we didn’t need to bow or curtsy. If it would have been like an official meeting of royalty event, then it would have been that. But I did still address him as Your Royal Highness.”

Kelce snapped a selfie with William and his two eldest kids, Charlotte and George, at the gig on June 21. Swift took to social media, posting: “Happy Bday M8! London shows are off to a splendid start.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales shared their own message: “Thank you Taylor Swift for a great evening! #LondonTSTheErastour.”

Yet, there was no rendezvous between Kelce and Harry, who was in town to receive the Pat Tillman Award for Service. When the chance of them crossing paths came up weeks before, an insider spilled to The Sun: “It could be interesting given how much Travis hit it off with 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.”

Despite the buzz, the two stars never crossed paths, although Kelce did get a shout-out during the ceremony, reports the Mirror US.

During her opening monologue, host Serena Williams quipped about the year’s sports highlights: “Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend won a Super Bowl.”

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