A Britney Spears' Teenage Romance Has Fans Dreaming Of Her As A Real-Life Queen
Britney Spears has had a few high-profile relationships, including her engagement to Justin Timberlake, her marriages to childhood friend Jason Alexander — for a brief 55 hours before an annulment — and to Kevin Federline from 2004 to 2007, per Us Weekly. Since the dissolution of Spears' conservatorship in 2021, which prevented her from making autonomous decisions about her life and career, the singer has had plenty of good news for fans and #FreeBritney supporters.
Besides being able to drive her own car again and enjoy other personal freedoms, Spears got engaged to her long-time boyfriend Sam Asghari, and they married in June 2022. At the wedding reception, the singer performed "Toxic" with friends Madonna and Selena Gomez, and shared a duet with Paris Hilton, per Vogue.
Though Spears seems to be on an upward trajectory since her release from the conservatorship — and her romantic life is certifiably dreamy — a resurfaced interview has fans wondering what could've been between the singer and a certain heir to the throne.
Their romance wasn't meant to be
In a 2002 interview with Frank Skinner of ITV2, Britney Spears dished on the U.K. leg of her global tour, per the Daily Mail. She told the host she'd been chatting online with none other than Prince William, who was then 20, like Spears. "We exchanged e-mails for a little bit and he was supposed to come and see me somewhere but it didn't work out," the singer shared. The host asked, "You were blown out by Prince William?" and Spears confirmed.
Spears was already in a relationship with Justin Timberlake at the time of the 2002 interview, and Prince William had met his future wife Kate Middleton at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
However, Christopher Andersen, a royal biographer, shared his insights into the prince's former romantic life with Us Weekly in 2021 after the release of his book, "Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan." He told the outlet, "[William and Britney] tried to get together back when they were young, and he also had a kind of similar cyber relationship with Lauren Bush, the model and the niece of President [George W.] Bush."
It seems that Spears' interviewer in 2002 already knew that Prince William wasn't her perfect match, though he had a different royal pick for the star. "Go with the brother," he told her, referencing a young Prince Harry who was known as a bit of a party boy at the time. "He's much more fun."