William’s ‘dancing dad’ inspired by King Charles’ flirty encounter with Spice Girls

King Charles’ infamous encounter with the Spice Girls may have inspired Prince William’s father to dance at Taylor Swift’s concert last week, according to a royal expert.

Richard Fitzwilliams added that the Prince of Wales would not, however, compare himself to his brother Prince Harry, who was spotted looking depressed at a Beyoncé concert.

William celebrated his 42nd birthday on June 21 at Wembley, as the Shake It Off singer brought her Eras tour to London. He was filmed by other spectators dancing to hip-hop.

Later, he and his children, Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, nine, posed for selfies with Swift, 34, and her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also 34. The snaps were later shared on Wales and Swift’s official social media channels.

Mr Fitzwilliams told The Sun: “It’s something that would never have been seen in the past.

“But it’s also something that is very, very important for the future, because social media is part of all of our lives, and he (William) knows that…

“There are echoes here, for example, of Prince Charles and the Spice Girls.”

Charles – then Prince of Wales – met the group of girls in 1997, posing for photos.

Geri Halliwell broke royal protocol at the gala celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Prince’s Trust, by kissing Charles on the cheek and allegedly squeezing his bottom.

“It is very important that members of the royal family are visibly attentive to current trends,” Mr Fitzwilliams said.

“Not necessarily to be part of it, so to speak, in the sense that they won’t set them, but to make sure they’re not behind. I think William has struck the right balance here.”

He added: “I think the clip of dad dancing wasn’t necessarily the one he expected to see posted…”

Viral images and selfies with Swift “remind us how human the royals are.”

“The royals can be relaxed, but they can also be formal. This is their way of finding a balance between the two,” Mr Fitzwilliams said.

In September last year, Prince Harry was spotted alongside his wife Meghan Markle at a Beyoncé concert in California looking depressed, with many people on social media calling him “miserable”.

However, Mr Fitzwilliams said it was unlikely William had tried to steal the limelight from his brother by appearing too cheerful at Swift’s concert.