21 times Prince William has rubbed shoulders with celebrities

As the British royal turns 40 on June 21, we explore his relationship with pop culture figures

Prince William chats with Nicole Kidman at Bafta's Brits to Watch event at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles, California on July 9, 2011. Getty Images

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, chat with Jennifer Lopez, left, at Bafta's Brits to Watch event in Los Angeles, California on July 9, 2011. AFP

Prince William with actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson during Bafta's Brits to Watch event on July 9, 2011. AFP

Prince William speaks to actress Barbara Streisand and her husband, actor James Brolin, at Bafta's Brits to Watch event. Getty Images

Prince William is joined by actor Jude Law in the Royal Box at the Winter Whites Gala, in aid of the homelessness charity Centrepoint, at the Royal Hall on December 8, 2012 in London. WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince William, right, sings with US singers Jon Bon Jovi, centre, and Taylor Swift during the Centrepoint gala dinner at Kensington Palace in London, on November 26, 2013. AFP

Prince William meets actor Idris Elba at the Royal film performance of 'Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom' at Odeon Leicester Square on December 5, 2013 in London. WPA Pool/Getty Images

Prince William meets actor Jackie Chan during a reception for the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference at the Natural History Museum in London on February 12, 2014. AFP

Prince William and actor Benedict Cumberbatch attend a dinner to celebrate the work of The Royal Marsden, hosted by the Duke of Cambridge, on May 13, 2014 in Windsor, England. Getty Images

From left, American director Taylor Hackford, UK actress Helen Mirren and Andre Konsbruck from Audi UK with Prince William at day one of the Audi Polo Challenge at Coworth Park Polo Club on May 31, 2014 in Ascot, England. Getty Images for Audi

Prince William with former England football player David Beckham at an event to launch the United for Wildlife campaign #WhoseSideAreYouOn, in central London on June 9, 2014. AFP

Prince William meets Australian-British singer Kylie Minogue, left, as Lady Helen Taylor looks on, during a reception for the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust at Buckingham Palace, London on June 14, 2018. AFP

Prince William meets singer Harry Styles at The Royal Variety Performance at The London Palladium on November 13, 2014. WPA Pool /Getty Images

Prince William greets singer Ellie Goulding after the Royal Variety Performance at The London Palladium on November 13, 2014. AFP

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, backstage with basketball player LeBron James at the Cleveland Cavaliers v Brooklyn Nets game at Barclays Centre, on December 8, 2014 in Brooklyn, New York City. Getty Images via AFP

Prince William with actor Eddie Redmayne and his wife Hannah Bagshawe at the Audi Polo Challenge 2015 at Cambridge County Polo Club on July 3, 2015 in Cambridge, England. Getty Images for Audi

Prince William meets actor Daniel Craig ahead of the world premiere of the James Bond film 'No Time to Die' at the Royal Albert Hall in west London on September 28, 2021. AFP

Prince William, left, speaks with performers Finneas O'Connell and Billie Eilish at the world premiere of 'No Time to Die' in London on September 28, 2021. AP

Prince William speaks with actor Rami Malek at the premiere of 'No Time to Die' in London on September 28, 2021. Reuters

Prince William is accompanied by actor Tom Cruise as he arrives for the UK premiere of the film 'Top Gun: Maverick' in London on May 19, 2022. AFP

From left, Prince William, rapper Kanye West, Prince Harry and rapper P Diddy during a backstage party at Wembley Arena in London on July 1, 2007, at a memorial concert held for Princess Diana. AFP

Prince William, who turns 40 on Tuesday, has rubbed shoulders with the most famous and powerful people across the world.

And while it's expected for him to meet country leaders and other royals, exchanges with celebrities have also produced memorable moments throughout the Duke of Cambridge's life.

Some are friends of his and his wife Kate. For example, David and Victoria Beckham were at the couple's wedding in 2011, alongside Sir Elton John, Joss Stone and Rowan Atkinson, to name a few.

The royals are also regulars on red carpets, having attended recent London premieres of films such as Top Gun: Maverick and No Time to Die.

He often comes across celebrities at charity events, having even rocked out on stage with Jon Bon Jovi and Taylor Swift at Kensington Palace in 2013, as part of a gala dinner for Centrepoint, the non-profit that supports homeless young adults.

Then there's that photo of Prince William meeting Nicole Kidman in 2011, when the pair were snapped while having an extremely animated and enthusiastic discussion.

Scroll through the gallery above to see 21 times Prince William has met celebrities

There are no obligatory codes of behaviour when meeting a member of Britain's royal family, according to their website, but there are certain rules people are still told to follow.

Jon Hamm, who met Prince William at the Top Gun: Maverick premiere, has spoken of the "anxiety-inducing" and "hard and fast rules you are made to follow".

"You're meant to say, 'Your Royal Highness' — if they offer their name, then you can use their name, but you can't do it first," Hamm said on the US talk show Live with Kelly and Ryan. "And you can't offer your hand, they have to offer their hand. Then you have to bow, but you can't bow too low."

While celebrities have tried to follow rules, some have said Prince William's "normal" demeanour made them forget all about the guidelines.

Multi-award-winning singer Billie Eilish said she unintentionally broke protocol when she met the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the No Time to Die premiere. “I was planning on [following the rules] and they were just so normal,” she said on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. “They didn’t make me feel like, ‘Oh, I’m scared, I can’t talk to them.’ They were very complimentary and they had all these questions for me. They were just very friendly and funny and sweet. I don’t know, I can’t complain. It was amazing.”

Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek, who has met Prince William more than once, has said he actively tries to treat royal family members as he would other people. "I'm sure a dose of normality is probably something that is quite refreshing to them," Malek told Entertainment Tonight.

“I remember we were at the Baftas, and I met them and they have a lot of questions to ask you. But it is nice to just say, 'How are you doing? How are you dealing with all of this? I know you just had kids, one kid, specifically,' so just try to be normal because they live a very unusual life, I imagine."

Prince William over the past 40 years — in pictures