Robbie William’s first ever tattoo was done while he was with Take That. He had Celtic cross inked on his hip as a talisman for protection because, as he has said himself, he’s got the devil in him…
A huge and beautifully ornate Maori tribal tattoo swirls and contours his left arm like a half sleeve. It is said to symbolise the twists and turns of fate and how his life has spiralled and developed. Robbie is said to have taken great care to ensure it is authentic.
A pair of swallows stand guard over his belly button. These are apparently an old school design but have also some naval (pun intended) significance. Sailors at sea know they are near land, and therefore safe, when they see swallows. These birds also mate for life and are a symbol of love and loyalty.
All You Need Is Love, a Beatles song adorns his lower back as a musical bar, complete with notations and lyrics. Across his upper chest are emblazoned the French words meaning: each to his own.
Under his right arm nestles the tattoo that Robbie calls the Christian. It show Jesus on a cross, with Mary and angels in attendance. Meanwhile, on the nape of his neck, Robbie has an eye of Horus. This is the ancient Egyptian falcon god, the son of Isis and Osiris and the all-seeing eye which protects its followers from malignant spirits.
On his right shoulder, Robbie has an image of a powerful lion’s face. Under it are the words: Born to be mild, and above it are the words: Elvis, grant me serenity…
Robbie has several other tattoos, from the crest of a town he lived in to the l.o.v.e on his knuckles and the initials of his grandmother or the name of his grandfather and the numerical representation of his best friend’s name. Not least are the testament of his love for his mother with the word ‘Mother’ down one arm and ‘I love u’ down the other. Lovely.
