Back in the days when neither man nor poet was feeling particularly tortured, when Taylor and Joe were still collaborating on such paeans to marital bliss as “Champagne Problems,” the singer threw her North London beau a birthday bash at Bob Bob Ricard. Ringing in Alwyn’s 29th with Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn, this French fusion spot is the first name in London decadence, and with bubbly literally available at the touch of a button, the only problem the cabal would have faced with their champagne is the next morning’s hangover. That dictionary someone gave Joe for his big day might have gathered dust on his shelves back in Highgate for a week or so.
Taylor Swift is joined on stage by Travis Kelce at Wembley Stadium on June 23, 2024 in London.
Gareth Cattermole/TAS24/Getty Images
Or maybe much, much longer. The two split a few years later. There was a moment, however, when things could have gotten just a little awkward at Chiltern Firehouse back in 2024. Arm in arm with then-new boyfriend (now husband), Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, Swift celebrated another 80,000-strong Wembley success with a night out at London’s answer to the Chateau Marmont. As ever, it was a high-society affair. Tom Parker-Bowles may once have written that “God would have to wait for a table” at the Marylebone hotspot, but Taylor Swift works in mysterious ways, and she and Travis were joined by Sophie Turner, her Cowdray heir boyfriend Peregrine Pearson, and Ellie Goulding. Two days later, though, and who should walk through those red brick doors but Joe Alwyn. Such are the risks when you spend a night out in this starriest of salons.
Originally published by Tatler
