How long have Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn been dating? Couple spark engagement speculation after Cornwall getaway

American singer Taylor Swift and English actor Joe Alwyn have sparked engagement rumors after flying off to Cornwall for a romantic getaway.

As per media outlet The Sun, the 32-year-old pop singer jetted off with her beau from Nashville, Texas, to London, United Kingdom, last week, before going to the Cornish seaside town of St. Ives for a three-day break.

A source told the media outlet that flying up to 4,000 miles for a short trip can be dubbed as "particularly special" for the duo.

"It feels like things are getting more serious and people think an engagement could be on the cards. That could explain such a long journey to a specific place. Taylor is keeping her cards close to her chest, but they're certainly very happy and enjoying their time together."

The insider explained that the couple were living together during the COVID-19 lockdown, which has clearly made their relationship even more serious.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn have stayed very private about their relationship, but have certainly been the subject of both engagement and marriage rumors in recent months.

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How long have Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn been dating?

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn first sparked dating rumors in 2016, making it the Red singer's longest relationship up until now. It's been five years of the duo being together.

Fans speculate that Swift and Alwyn first crossed paths during the 2016 Met Gala. At the time, she was dating singer-composer Calvin Harris, but broke up with him shortly after the event. Her 2017 song Dress hints about the duo being present at the occasion.

"“Flashback when you met me / Your buzz cut and my hair bleached.”

After her breakup, Swift began a relationship with actor Tom Hiddleston until September 2016.

Taylor Swift attended a Kings of Leon concert with her friends in New York City in October 2016, a month after she announced her split from Hiddleston. Fans later realized that Alwyn was at the show, since he was spotted walking into the Bowery Hotel's after-party the same night.

While promoting her 2019 album Lover, Swift released four booklets that had special journal entries. Under the January 3, 2017 entry, Swift revealed that she had been secretly dating Joe Alwyn for three months already.

She started writing about how she was scared for the future because of various changes that took place in her life the year before.

"I mean this time last year I was living in LA, getting ready for Grammys and now, I’m essentially based in London, hiding out trying to protect us from the nasty world that just wants to ruin things. We have been together and no one has found out for 3 months now. I want it to stay that way because I don’t want anything about this to change or become too complicated or intruded upon.

She ended the entry by stating that she was happy where she was at the time. Since then, the couple have been spotted on various occasions together, spending time with close friends and family.

In May 2017, the duo even posted similar pictures on their Instagram handles, which Alwyn later told media outlet ET Online "was not purposeful at all!"

Ever since then, Taylor Swift has been spotted attending several of Alwyn's movie premieres and even promoted them on her Instagram account.

In January 2021, Swift's documentary Miss Americana dropped on Netflix, which gave her fans a glimpse into her relationship.

In response to the aftermath of the singer's tainted public image in 2016, she explained how she was falling in love with someone with a "wonderfully normal, balanced life," and they both made the decision to keep their relationship private.

Throughout the documentary, we see brief glimpses of PDA between the two stars, such as Taylor Swift kissing Alwyn's hand during a car ride and Swift casually singing Call It What You Want from her album Reputation as the actor filmed.

Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn also spent a lot of time vacationing together. They were last spotted together in Cavan, Ireland, in August 2021.