The ginger royal’s state visit to the US in May will be his first since he landed himself in the brown stuff for playing strip billiards in Vegas.

A source said: “Taylor’s desperate to get her name added on to the VIP lists of stars being lined up to meet Harry. She loves everything about him — especially his ginger hair and English accent.

“She’s dated JFK’s great nephew CONOR KENNEDY, who is considered American royalty, and Harry would be a massive step up from him.

“Taylor is also Harry’s type as he loves blondes.

“Ed is laid-back, but it will be a challenge for him not to get jealous over Taylor’s admiration for another richer, ginger Englishman with the same name as one of her ex-boyfriends.”

Ed’s ego will also take a knock as one of his party tales is about being mistaken for the prince — by Harry’s cousins BEATRICE and EUGENIE.

He bumped into the princesses while performing at a wedding in the Caribbean and recalled: “One of the girls said, ‘You know my cousin looks like you’.”

Harry — dating blonde party girl CRESSIDA BONAS — is set to meet US stars including JENNIFER LAWRENCE, VANESSA HUDGENS, KATE UPTON and SCARLETT JOHANSSON at parties being thrown for him in Washington and New York.

And Taylor — whose exes include ONE DIRECTION’s HARRY STYLES, actor JAKE GYLLENHAAL and TAYLOR LAUTNER — has the perfect chance to bag an invite. She is in Washington at the same time as Harry for her Red tour — which has Ed as her support act and duet partner.

Her shows are already proving a hit in the US. On Friday, Taylor turned heads in a tight black number for a gig in Newark, New Jersey, but dressed down for her performance with Ed.

She’s best not getting too friendly with the prince. Ed could do her serious damage with the razor-sharp sword he’s been carrying on tour.

The blade was handed to him by director PETER JACKSON from the set of The Hobbit and it nearly killed Taylor on a recent jet flight.

Ed said: “It’s a real sword. I was bringing it back to Nashville and as the plane started to take off, it was on the table and started sliding and I was like, ‘No!’ It was just about to impale Taylor.”

Harry kills Taliban from the cockpit of an Apache helicopter.